Bittersweet Black Memories
by Icie911
Summary: Things are sparking. With secrets revealed, death encountered, hopes devastated, and the Black Organization close, what are we to do when our meitantei is suddenly out of action - and dare we think - forever? What a time for Edogawa Conan's luck to run dry... Will the darkness triumph? Will it all be in vain, in the end? No one can tell - because this is no fairytale, after all.
1. Attacked

**Author's Note:** OHMYGOD. I WAS REREADING THIS AND IT'S LIKE…(excuse my language) CRAP. TERRIBLE. HOW THE HECK WILL I EVER LIVE THIS DOWN?! By the way this is an edit . So sorry guys, I have to fix these first few chapters before I can upload. What can I say? Chapter 10 has a wicked cliffie, and maybe I wanna play it out a bit longer…

-Icie911

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><p><em><strong>Attacked<strong>_

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><p><em>How did it end up being me…?<em>

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><p>A silvery arc sang through the darkness. The last thing Conan saw was the craggy grin dully gleaming from the shadows and the cold, cold eyes under a worn navy cap. And then there was a sickening crunch, and his vision gave way to multicolored stars, and then blackness. He crumpled to the ground, his shattered watch face softly reflecting moonlit shards, his sneakers weakly flickering off to his right, and his belt slashed beyond use. Blacking out was almost a relief from the shattering pain in his temples, and the terribly cold feeling in his gut. <em>Will I die<em>…_?_ Conan didn't know. And as he sank into darkness, he desperately found himself not caring anymore. An eerie, disembodied chuckle murmured through the air. There was a brief whistling sound as the unnamed attacker tossed a perfect ace of spades onto the dust, next to Conan's unmoving body. It gleamed a pearly white, the dark black spade prominent and striking, beautifully glossy. Ace of spades. The card of death. And the attacker's signature card. His heavy steps faded from the scene, as he walked away from yet another victim.

* * *

><p><strong><em>At the Mouri's<em>**

"Ah Ran, you worry too much." Kogoro's voice was starting to slur, as he was well on his sixth beer.

"Get away from that alcohol," Ran furiously swiped away the coppery can, setting it high up on a shelf, "and listen to me! Conan is missing, and all you care about right now is-"

"Yoko-chan!" Kogoro cheered, completely ignoring Ran.

"Exactly!" Ran threw her hands up with frustration. Her eyes were filled with worry. "Agasa-hakase has no idea where he is, Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta haven't seem him since he left the soccer park, and…" her fists clenched and unclenched. "Where could he _be_?"

"Oh, no need'ta worry," Kogoro flapped his hand loosely, his voice slurred with alcohol. "Doesn' dat brat love to play socc'r? Mebbe he's out in de fields som'were…Yoko-chan! Y'u nail 'em wit dat solo!" Kogoro fistpumped, returning his attention the small TV set and dismissing Conan's disappearance. He cracked open another beer. It hissed, white gold foam bubbling up around the tips.

"What do you mean _soccer_? You think he would stay out this late to play soccer and leave everyone worried?!" Ran was furious, worry etching every line of her face. In the pit of her stomach, she felt knots begin to form. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

"St'p both'rin me wit dat stup'd kid," Kogoro's eyes were unfocused, his tone annoyed. "Trust 'im to be de reas'n I can't watch Yoko-chan n' peace. He's pro'lly out wit his old man or s'mthin stup'd like dat."

"Will you…!" Ran's eyes blazed in fury. "His name is _Conan_ and you _know_ his parents are overseas!" Ran gave up, settling on smashing her fist into his desk and spraying beer cans everywhere. She stormed off, snatching an old flashlight on the way. The door slammed.

"Wha-?" Kogoro looked around, disoriented. He shrugged half-heartedly, and was about to return to his show when a thought struck him. "Wai' a min'te!" He stood, swaying. Gripping the edge of the desk, he swept his gaze wildly around the room. "Where'd ma odder beer go?" He spotted a corner of gold. "Oo… no need'ta worry, I got it." Kogoro lurched unsteadily toward the medicine cabinet, where his precious beer perched precariously. Standing underneath it, he pouted. "I's too hi' fo' me to reach…" He narrowed his eyes craftily, then jumped once and snagged it, knocking several things over and spilling a good deal of beer on his clothing. "O' well," he staggered back to his seat, feeling very discombobulated. As he refocused himself onto Yoko, he absently thought about his daughter's outburst and sudden departure.

"Yanno, I've got de weird'st sens'a déjà vu righ' now…" he slurred, and promptly fainted, missing the rest of his precious show and drooling all over himself.

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><p><strong><em>Outside the Mouri Detective Agency<em>**

The moon was rising and the old lampposts were flickering to life. A crushed feeling clamped over Ran like a vise. It was almost eight.

_Conan!_ She thought desperately, sprinting, flashlight in hand. At least her father had one good idea. She was headed toward the field, and if Conan wasn't there, then the park. And if he wasn't in the park, Ran was determined to search through all of Beika. She could not push away the feeling of dread building inside of her. Her fingers were white as they clamped the dusty light.

Her footsteps pounded, matching her heartbeat. Only a few blocks had passed and Ran's breath was coming uncomfortably short, a stitch beginning to materialize at her side. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to run faster. _Only one more block_, she thought desperately. _Please hold on Conan!_

Much to her frustration, she found stray tears streaming down her face, chafing her skin and dripping salt into her mouth. She angrily wiped them away with her spare hand. _Conan will be fine_, she told herself firmly, her eyes stinging. _Absolutely fine_. But she couldn't seem to convince herself.

Conan had stopped by the agency earlier, after school had ended. Ram had seen him through the glass window of her father's office, and waved to him cheerfully. He'd waved back, grinning. Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko had waved as well. Conan then mouthed through the glass that he was going to the park to play with Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko. Jumping onto his skateboard, he sent Ran a backwards wave, and he left his friends in dust as they chased after him. His head had been thrown back in a laugh she couldn't hear. His last words to her. They were horrifyingly familiar.

"Don't worry Ran-neechan! I'll be back later!"

_Don't worry Ran, you go on ahead. I'll catch up with you later…!_ The words echoed through her mind; the exact words Shinichi had said before he ran off towards those men clad in black. That same phrase. That desolately familiar backwards wave. And those beautiful, blue eyes. Hauntingly familiar. Ran's heart contorted painfully as tears welled up in her eyes again. Sprinting even harder than before, she made herself a single promise.

_I will not lose him the same way I lost Shinichi._

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><p><strong><em>The fields<em>**

The freshly cut grass waved gently in the breeze. Two grand, silver goals stood majestically at opposite ends of the field. The bleachers's reflection was soft under the moonlight. Stark, neatly sprayed lines marked boundaries Ran didn't understand. She had never gotten soccer. The dark sky was pierced with a few pearls of stars. The field was deserted. A shiver ran up Ran's spine as a chilly breeze curled around her. After a quick sweep and a minute to regain her breath, she determined what her instincts had already told her.

Conan was not here.

Which meant there was only one thing to do- keep searching.

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><p><em><strong>The park<strong>_

Ran panted hard, swiveling her head back in forth in search of those glasses and Shinichi-blue eyes. The park Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko visited wasn't far from the field, but she'd lost her breath already. She was half-angry at herself, and half weary. The night had gotten darker, and she could barely see the silhouette of the playground equipment. A few seconds ago she'd nearly tripped over a low-lying balance beam. Ran switched on the flashlight, slicing a rusty beam through the dark night. The park was empty as well, the moonshine dimly outlining equipment. Her searching golden beam swept the entire area, searching for something, anything. Monkey bars, slides, swings: all still and silent.

"C-co-conan?" Her voice quavered, splitting the silence. "Conan?" She strengthened her voice, disgusted at her weakness. "Conan? Conan! Where are you?" Her cries met nothing but silence. Dead silence. Her hands were trembling.

"Conan, this isn't funny!" Her voice was plaintive. She didn't know why she thought Conan was here. The park was clearly empty… but some instinct deep inside her wouldn't let her leave. It wouldn't let her move on with her search. "Conan-kun! Come out right this instant!" Ran's warning words were filled with worry. She called out one last time.

"Conan…" He wasn't here. She knew he wasn't here. Disgusted with herself for thinking such trivial thoughts, that Conan would be _here_ of all places because her gut feeling told her to stay, she spun around, her flashlight beam angled around the park, sweeping with her. She had taken one step when something frightening registered in her mind. She could've sworn that out of the corner of her eye…

Her searching light swept around the park ground. And then suddenly, there was a flash of light that dazzled and blinded her for a second, and she knew she'd found what she was looking for.

A pair of glasses. Conan's glasses.

Ran whimpered, her entire body wracked with shivers. "No, no, no…!"

The glasses, clean at a glance, were splattered with dark scarlet. Bloody scarlet. The flashlight clattered onto the ground, snapping off as a stray rock pressed the off button. An ominous breeze swept Ran's dark hair aside as she shakily knelt, wrapping her quaking fingers tentatively around the slender frames. They were undoubtedly Conan's. Her fingers brushed the smooth stony path that was faintly familiar to her. She tucked the glasses into her jacket pocket, so gently that one would think the glasses could crumble into dust any second. On her knees, Ran searched for her flashlight. Finding it, she flicked it on again. The warm, faint circle of light reappeared. It traced the winding path up to a squat storage house. Once a snug, friendly building she and Shinichi hid in, it now loomed in front of her.

Really, Conan could've been kidnapped. Taken away. Which is why his glasses were left here, while he wasn't uttering a single sound. Kidnapped. Ran repeated the word inside her brain. It was better than the alternative. The gray, unforgiving building taunted her. It dared Ran to think the impossible.

Her fingers shaking uncontrollably now, she grasped the curved steel handle to the storage house. Only one way to find out. She steeled herself, then pulled.

Locked.

Of course.

Ran glared at the crossed doors, gathered a few scraps of strength, and lashed out a fierce roundhouse kick. The door never stood a chance. It gave in quietly, landing with a resounding thud on the concrete, dusty floor. A cloud of dust rose, and then settled. Ran stepped gingerly over it, narrowly missing a large, adult footprint clearly imprinted on the floor, which she failed to notice. Her eyes were straining to see what her flashlight could not illuminate. Her light flashed over every corner of the room at least three times. Nothing.

Ran let out a long sigh, her shoulders sagging. He wasn't here. He was still alive somewhere. _Just because he isn't here doesn't mean that he's alive,_ a nagging voice pushed through her consciousness. _Shut up_, she told herself fiercely. _He's definitely alive. He- he has to be alive._

She couldn't imagine the boy, so full of life, crumpled on the ground, his spark extinguished forever.

She couldn't.

She wouldn't.

Ran turned to go, and in that single moment, her foot crushed something. It made a clear, glass cracking sound. Crisp and sharp. She flashed her light down, and her breath caught. _Oh no. Gods, no!_

Under her foot lay an intricate watch, the glass face shattered through.

Ran stifled a scream.

Conan's watch.

Wildly, she shone her light around the room, behind the boxes, anywhere. She couldn't bear to look at the watch.

It was soaked with blood.

And then her light caught something. A dark shadow in the corner she'd failed to notice. A shudder ran through her, and her feet carried her toward it, to her horror. At a closer glance, she found it seemed like a broken form. A child's form. Ran's breath caught. _No_, she thought, _this is not happening. This is some demented nightmare, and I'll wake any second now…!_ Horror was building inside of her, and in a terrible flash, she knew she wasn't dreaming. The dim circle illuminated a young child's body. A seven or eight year old's body. Her hand shook so hard the flashlight dropped, bouncing and then swerving, the beam flashing wildly. Ran took a second to calm herself and steel her nerves. If the boy was Conan, Ran closed her eyes tightly, then he was almost guaranteed to be dead.

She picked up the flashlight, and shone it down on the boy's face.

A frighteningly familiar face.

Ran didn't hold back her scream this time, splitting the thick silence cleanly. Her legs collapsed beneath her, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the broken figure. That childish face, sharp features, and raven black hair… Her scream petered out, and she panted, tears streaming freely down her face. Those eyes, those electric blue eyes… she'd never see them again. His eyes were shut. Blood smeared his clothing and splattered his face. He wouldn't move. Ran shook him hysterically, sobbing. _He won't move…!_ Ran cradled his still form, a scream tearing from her throat once more, white-hot flashing behind her eyelids. And then silence fell.

Ran hunched there, crying silently, holding the pieces of the boy once known as Edogawa Conan, as her flashlight died.

Everything faded into darkness.

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><p>Wheewww… much better… wipes forehead

OMG. MUST. RUSH. AND DO. NEXT. CHAPTER. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DON'T READ IT UNTIL THE TOP SAYS EDIT NEXT TO THE A/N

T^T I'm begging you here. Seriously. /completely ignoring cliffhanger

Weeeell… I guess Conan might be dead. I MAY TURN THIS INTO A DEATHFIC YET :DDDD


	2. Don't Leave

**A/N[edit]: **OMFG T^T WHY DID NONE OF YOU TELL ME HOW TERRIBLE THESE CHAPTERS WERE?!

No, seriously. I'm like, writhing in agony here. These chapters are horrifying. And not even a somewhat-decently good kind of horrifying.

Must. Finish. Chapter. And. Fix. The. Rest.

D:

-Icie911

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><p><em><strong>Don't Leave…<strong>_

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><p><em>Won't you please… please, stay?<em>

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><p>Ran's body was wracked with silent sobs as she held Conan 's lifeless form tightly. Her tears formed small craters on the dusty floor. A part of her wanted to stay here forever, screaming out her grief. She wanted to cradle Conan's body, hoping to miraculously breathe life into him as she cried. Her tears streamed from her face to Conan's, her mark of grief trailing down his cheeks. The tears striped clean trails down Conan's ashen face, washing away the blood and grime. Ran's body convulsed as she gasped for air, her throat raw. Finally, as she started to run out of tears, some logical part of her snapped into focus.<p>

_Baka! Get a hold of yourself!_ Ran shook her head furiously, her dark hair whipping out and lashing her cheek. Blinking the stinging tears out of her eyes, she found a moment of crystal clarity. Slowly, like rusty gears beginning to function after years of disuse, she began to think coherently. _Breathe,_ she told herself, and finally was able to settle down. She could take a deep breath without her breath hitching. Ran's sides ached from her shaking, and she felt brittle and sharp, as one usually does after crying their eyes out. The air was acrid as she inhaled, and a sharp pain of sorrow pierced her heart. Her mind cleared, heavy with guilt. _I should've gone looking for him earlier. I should've known to trust that feeling. I should've… I should've…_

She was about to break down again when suddenly, a revelation hit her.

_I'm such an idiot!_ When had she ever _confirmed_ Conan was dead? Ran flinched like someone slapped her. Here she had been, grieving, while she could potentially be killing him! If he was still alive… Ran could barely hope, but if he was, then every second she wasted was a second where his strength weakened. Frantically, she placed two fingers on Conan's limp wrist, praying.

One second passed.

Two.

Three.

Nothing. Ran bit back her devastating disappointment and fresh onslaught of grief as the deluge of tears threatened to spill from her eyes again. She blinked rapidly, her fingers pressing so hard into Conan's wrist that they turned white. She couldn't believe… she couldn't believe he was gone. _Stage one of grief… _Ran thought dully, a lone tear trickling down her face. _Denial._

And suddenly, she felt a weak thrum under her fingertips. It could just be wishful thinking, but she could've sworn… she pressed hard on Conan's wrist, and waited with bated breath for what felt like an eternity. She tightened her jaw and squeezed her eyes shut, praying, hoping, and pleading. And she felt the same weak thrum. Her eyes flew open, a lone spark of hope flaring inside of her. _Alive!_ She nearly started crying again. _H-he's alive!_

Ran's fingers jammed into her pocket, searching. _Please, please let it be there… found it! _Her fingers tightened around her cellphone, which she whipped out and dialed 119. Her fingers were shaking hard, but she was able to press connect. _Ambulance_… Ran's thought's were flying, whirling, racing.

_Please pick up!_

The line connected. Ran nearly collapsed in relief. Thankfully, she was still kneeling, or her knees would've given way. Her eyes wild, she rambled a jumble of information. When she hung up, she wasn't quite sure _what_ she'd said, but she knew she'd covered the basics and the most important details. Edogawa Conan, barely alive, emergency, 135 Beika St., storage room of the park. As she snapped her cellphone shut and deftly returned it to her pocket, a colossal wave of fatigue swept over Ran. Her limbs were like lead, and she wanted more than anything to fall next to Conan and surrender to peaceful darkness. But a single thread of determination wouldn't let her just fall unconscious, so, with difficulty, she struggled to her feet, nestling Conan safely in her arms. She struggled to the door, once again, barely avoiding stepping on (and effectively destroying) the large footprint.

Once outside, a cool breeze crept around her legs. Stumbling a few feet away from the storage room, she laid Conan carefully on the silver tipped grass, careful not to jar him. His face looked fragile and made of porcelain under the pearly moonlight. Ran traced his cheek lightly, his skin cold and smooth.

"Hang on, Conan…" she whispered softly. And then she collapsed, black edging her vision. The grass was wonderfully cool against her cheek, and she gave herself willingly into the onyx shadows.

She'd had enough shock for today.

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><p><strong><em>A few minutes later…<em>**

A pristine white ambulance hastened across the road, its sirens wailing and lights flashing. Destination: 135 Beika Street. The sirens followed a steady rhythm.

_E-mer-gen-cy_

__E-mer-gen-cy__

_E-mer-gen-cy_

Even the vehicle itself radiated urgency. It raced against time and tried to cheat death. This time, it would be a close-call. It pressed on harder, flying down the street. The siren sounded terse, the lights flashing worriedly. Would they be able to save this young life? And although they had no idea, a lot more was at stake than one Edogawa Conan's life. If he fell, a thick, stygian evil would live for eternity. The boy's life alone held a heavy weight on the delicate scale of balance.

It screeched to halt in front of the park entrance. Four nurses with two stretchers agitatedly scrambled off the ambulance and raced inside, finding two unconscious people. The young boy's life was clearly the one in danger. Edogawa Conan. He was gently loaded onto the first stretcher and immediately attached to life support. The teenage girl was in general unhurt, but had blacked out due to hyperventilation and most likely shock. The second stretcher brought her to the ambulance, where she was given a oxygen mask laden with calming gases. She would be fine.

But the boy… the boy was in severe danger. The peril had not yet been alleviated, and as the ambulance wailed its heartbroken tune again, the duo were whisked off to what would either be the young boy's recovery stead… or his deathbed.

Everything faded to charcoal sketches once again.

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><p><strong><em>At the Beika Hospital<em>**

"Ran! What happened to her? Why aren't you _ doing_ anything? Surely you can-"

"Please calm down, Mouri-kun. Your daughter is perfectly fine; she's simply going through some mental trauma. The boy, however, is in an alarmingly critical condition…"

"Ah, Conan-kun… what in the world happened to him?"

"The boy, Kisaki-san, has several harsh blows to his head and various cuts on his body. His chest has a nasty, seeping bruise and three ribs of his ribs are fractured. It seems as if he was repeatedly kicked with dense, possibly steel-tipped boots. His leg is broken and his arm is sprained. He'll need many stitches and several casts, and even then, we cannot be sure if he'll survive. He's lost a terrible amount of blood… he must've been left alone for _hours_. You say his name is Conan? Edogawa Conan?"

_Conan…?_

_ Conan…  
><em>

_Conan…!_

With a jolt, Ran woke up. She jerked upwards, her mouth forming the name. Halfway through it died in her throat. She found herself sitting in a narrow white bed, her father and mother watching her.

"Ran!" Kogoro cried in relief, crushing her in a bear hug. "Thank goodness you're safe! I mean, the doctor _said_ you were safe and if he was lying then I would've judo thrown him to Mars but still-"

"Stop you incessant rambling, Kogoro," Eri cut in, her voice only half serious. "And if you don't let go of her soon our daughter may walk out of this room with bruised ribs as well," she chided, pulling her daughter into a gentler embrace.

"I-I'm fine," Ran's voice wavered. "I think I blacked out from the shock of Conan-" her voice broke in half. Ran swallowed with difficulty, meeting her parents' grave looks. Her voice barely above a whisper, she asked, "Conan. H-how… how is he?" Ran bit her lip hard, tasting coppery blood. There was a formidable silence, and once again, without her permission, tears leaked down Ran's face. "Is he… still… alive?"

Eri brushed the tears away from Ran's face, tucking her daughter's long hair behind an ear. "He's still alive." She paused, her gaze flickering away uncomfortably. "For now." A swell of uncontrollable emotions burst inside of Ran. It was all too much. Eri gave her daughter a soft, concerned look. "Ran-chan…" A look of fear crossed Ran's face. Eri only called her 'Ran-chan' when she was talking about something _really_ serious. Her mother's face softened. "I don't want to say this… but the chance of him surviving is far less than the chance of…" she trailed off.

A part of Ran wanted to sit in the bed and cry in despair, but a stronger part of her was tired of crying. She rubbed her eyes angrily, and swung her legs over the bed, standing. She was clothed in a creamy white hospital gown with cheery blue and white borders. It fell breezily above her knees, and she was barefoot. Eri and Kogoro, looking concerned, rushed to support her.

Pushing them away, Ran reassured them, "I'm fine." Her voice faltered, as if she was trying to convince herself as well as them. "Can you bring me a change of clothes, kaa-san?" Ran asked.

"I have some, but are you quite sure you're okay-" Eri was interrupted.

"I'm _fine_." Ran lifted her jaw slightly. Swallowing, she said, "We need to call Agasa-hakase. Maybe he'll be able to contact Conan's parents…"

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><p><strong><em>At the Agasa residence<em>**

The phone rang. Once, twice, three times… finally, an old, balding man thundered into the room, gasping for breath. He reached for the phone, shouting, "Don't worry, Ai-chan! I've got the telephone!" before picking up the receiver. "Hello? Agasa residence, Agasa Hiroshi speaking."

Quietly, an eight year old girl with coffee colored hair stepped into the room. Cloaked a pristine white lab coat, she watched the hakase fondly with a gaze far too old for someone her age. Her cerulean eyes were filled with loss and pain smoothened over with glassy coldness that occasionally melted into a warm spring of sapphire. The girl was none other than Haibara Ai, the previously known Miyano Shiho. Codename: Sherry, former Black Organization member. Stuck in the same state as Conan, Haibara took APTX on purpose to escape the organization— either by shrinking or death. As the scientist who crafted the deadly drug, Haibara was working on a permanent antidote to the drug while Conan chased down the criminals. She sat on the couch, listening intently to Agasa's side of the conversation.

"Hmm? Oh, of course I've heard of that disgusting murderer after elementary school children, Eri-san. Have they found him? No? Oh, there was another victim tonight… that's terrible. How do you know so fast- excuse me? Are you joking?" Agasa was silent for a few moments, and then his tone turned grave. "Of course this is no matter for joking, I'm sorry. But… _him_? Really? Yes… I'll be right there with Ai-chan. Give us ten minutes, more or less. Goodbye." He hung up.

"Eh, hakase, another victim? Where are we going at this time of night?" Haibara asked calmly, her face impassive.

Agasa regarded her grimly. "The victim… this time he…" Agasa seemed at a loss for words. "It's Shinichi." He grabbed his coat and car keys, tossing Haibara's coat in her direction.

"You're joking." Haibara was stunned, barely catching the jacket before it hit her. Suddenly, her face twisted in fear, agitation reflecting off her clear blue eyes. "That's… that's nearly impossible!" She knew she was being illogical. With all the trouble the tantei immersed himself in, a situation like this was bound to happen. But every time he'd miraculously escaped unscathed. She'd begun to think… well, she didn't quite know. Maybe she'd begun to think that here was a boy who could escape from the logic of danger and death. "His brain?" Haibara asked helplessly, shoving her arms into the sleeves of her jacket. "Your gadgets? Doesn't he usually…" she waved her arms vaguely, panic outlining her features, "escape?"

"Apparently not this time." Agasa's face looked carved from stone. "As for my gadgets… it seems I failed him in that area." Heavy responsibility and guilt shone from his eyes as he turned to leave. Haibara walked up to him, gently placing a small hand on his arm.

"It's not your fault," she said softly. "We all should've seen this coming."

Agasa sighed, a heavy sigh that sounded discouragingly weary. "I don't know the full story yet…" he said slowly, "Just that the classic ace of spades was tossed on the ground near Shinichi-kun's unmoving body." He swallowed, pushing the door open, stepping into the biting black night air. "And that he's in critical condition. The chances are…" he unlocked his car, not once looking into Haibara's eyes, "He's not going to make it."

Haibara said nothing, the dread written plainly across her face. She didn't need to say anything.

The car revved, and sped into the darkness, its amber beams cutting into the dusk. The silence was terse, as they sped toward Conan and his impending doom. At the very least, they wanted to be by his deathbed before he left them…

Forever.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Back at Beika Hospital<em>**

A doctor staggered out of the emergency room, his face ragged with exhaustion. His green smock, cap, and hospital mask were quickly replaced with a white, coat that flared slightly and fluttered at the ends. Finally, he looked up at the waiting recipients. His face was impenetrable, inexpressive. He cleared his throat, once, and delivered the news.

"We've done all we can. It's up to fate now." He hesitated, then continued. "It's up to the boy now to fight."

Ran's mouth tightened, Eri's eyes widened in dismay, and Kogoro stared at the doctor numbly. They were now in a terrible deadlock. There was an appalling sort of relief that nothing could be done on their side anymore, and a horrifying kind of terror that Conan wouldn't have the stamina or strength to fight. All throughout was the frightful premonition that such a young flame of life would soon be extinguished. Ran's shoulders sagged, and she buried her face in her hands forlornly. _Stay… Conan, I beg you. Please, stay with us…_

A pair appeared suddenly; the adult a portly man with white hair and the child a slim girl with tea-colored hair and aged, crystal blue eyes. Agasa and Ai. A tense, unknowing aura swirled thickly around them, their faces drawn with apprehension.

"Is he still… alive?" Agasa asked first. There was silence while Eri nodded weakly.

"Will he survive…?" Haibara finally asked, the question lingering on Agasa's tongue as well.

The taut, clouded silence led Haibara and Agasa to their worst fears.

"Chances are… no." Ran's voice broke, her words thick with unshed tears.

Agasa sat hard on the seat, a confused expression on his face. It wasn't the kind of confusion where he didn't know what was going on; it was more of the confusion that couldn't fathom how such a thing had happened. Ai sank gracefully into her seat, her normally calm demeanor completely destroyed by the stricken expression on her face. Her eyes reflected pain and torment, a blue whirlpool of emotion.

The five sat, a dreadful silence blanketed heavily around them.

Suddenly, another doctor burst through the revolving doors, pushing a stretcher. A pretty, young nurse ran alongside the stretcher, working frantically on the patient. A boy, to be exact.

A familiar boy with raven-black, disheveled hair; his glasses still perched precariously on the bridge of his nose.

"Conan!" Ran stood up so quickly her vision spun. She stumbled back, falling onto the chair again.

"Take it slowly, Ran," Eri soothed.

"But… Conan…" Ran raised a hand helplessly towards the receding stretcher.

"Not to worry," Eri promised. "Your father will run after them and get the room number they're taking him to, won't you Kogoro?" Eri asked sweetly, shooting Kogoro a poisonous glare.

"O-of course!" Kogoro stuttered, his face ashen with fear. Without further delay, he bolted after the rapidly fading stretcher. Ran still looked stricken.

"Besides, Ran, if they're taking him to a room that means he's definitely alive, right? It means he has a chance." Eri reasoned, calming Ran down.

"You're right." Ran attempted to smile.

"Now, let's get up and slowly make our way to Conan-kun, okay? Take your time." Eri helped Ran to her feet. As they walked down the narrow hallway, Agasa and Ai trailing behind them, Eri pulled out a hospital map. A vibrating sound came from her pocket, and Eri pulled out her cellphone. She smiled lightly at her daughter. "Kogoro's sent me the location. Room 312. Which is…" she looked at the map. "This way." She led Ran in the right direction.

Agasa allowed himself a small smile and the barest trace of hope. "Let's get moving."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Room 312; resident Edogawa Conan<em>**

Agasa and Haibara huddled into a corner, whispering urgently and quickly to each other, with the occasional glance in Conan's direction. Kogoro and Eri stood in the corner opposite to the duo, stony still and deathly silent. Stiff worry carved their features. Ran knelt next to Conan's bed, on the opposite side of the doctor, who was hooking him up to drips and working the oxygen mask.

_He looks so… frail_, Ran thought dismally. She longed to see those cobalt blue eyes and their electric spark of life. Those eyes masked behind behind glasses, those eyes that reminded her of Shinichi. _Don't leave me, Conan…_ Ran thought desperately. _Don't leave me like this. _

She couldn't bear to lose him. It would rip apart the chasm in her heart Conan had closed when Shinichi left. It would break her inside, and this time Conan wouldn't be the one fixing her. He would be the one breaking her.

And Shinichi…

Ran could've slapped herself for feeling so selfish. Conan was the one here. Conan was the one in danger. Conan was the one who had been there when her baka tantei hadn't. She could've slapped Shinichi for leaving, for being the cause of her bonding with Conan. She could've slapped him for forever shadowing Conan. But Ran also knew that it wasn't Shinichi's fault that she saw him in Conan's every move, and that it wasn't anyone's fault but her own. Her thoughts were whirling wildly, uncontrollably, each idea presenting itself and whisking back into the tornado. Her head hurt. Finally, she simply repeated a mantra in her mind, staking her hopes on the three words.

_Don't leave us._

_Don't leave us._

_Don't leave us…_

"Okay," The doctor proclaimed firmly. "He's attached to the drip, and we're supplying him with oxygen."

"The drip, and oxygen." Haibara snorted ungraciously. The doctor shot her a strange look. "Yes, we can clearly see you've hooked him up to both, but is that all? Is that _all_ you can do for him?" Haibara's gaze was steelly and cold, her voice sarcastic and biting.

A look of surprise crossed the doctor's face. Then his brain seemed to register that he was talking to a little girl, albeit (he thought) a sassy one. His expression honeyed over. He gestured to a large metallic machine. "Little girl, I'm not sure you know this, but we also attach this little device called-"

"A heart monitor." Ai interrupted coldly, rolling her eyes. "I would hardly call it little." She made no attempt to conceal her contempt. The doctor opened his mouth, but Haibara continued before he could utter a sound.

"Please don't try to explain how it works. I think we all know. But if you must know, then I'm fully capable of explaining it myself." Haibara's voice was a monotone, her every particle radiating boredom. "The heart monitor will show Edogawa-kun's heart rate. That's rather obvious, isn't it? If it dies out then the line spiking in a diagram formatted to rate his heartbeat will flatline; otherwise, it will observe his heartbeat and pulse according to the pattern. Have I left anything out?" Haibara smirked. "Oh yes. This is hardly worth mentioning, but it also can tell if Edogawa-kun's heartbeat is irregular or not. I wasn't asking about what other gizmos you could connect to him, I was asking whether you could physically do anything about his _condition_. I suppose not though, so you can consider my question answered."

The doctor blinked at the girl, gaping. _I thought she was_… seven or something? What the **hell**_…?___ He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. _Just who is this_—___  
><em>__

"Excuse me, but do you have the time to be standing there lolly-gagging? Even if you can't do anything to help, the least you can do is finish your job and leave us here in peace!" Eri's voice was severe. Meanwhile, Agasa elbowed Haibara discreetly. His message was clear.

_Cut the genius girl act!_

The doctor eyed them suspiciously, but Eri slapped him. "Pay attention to your patient!" Her dark violet eyes were dangerous and angry.

A burst of surprise and slight pain whisked across the doctor's face. As Eri scolded him, shame flushed his features. Swiftly, he hooked a metal cuff around Conan's limp wrist. A thick cord fell to the ground, connecting Conan's hand to the large machine. The doctor expertly tapped a series of buttons, and the monitor flickered to life. The machine hummed as it started up.

Ran gripped Conan's hand so hard her fingers turned white. A terrified mixture of dread and hope stretched her face. "Stay with us," she pleaded, her voice thin and barely audible. "Please."

All at once, a glowing green line appeared on the screen. For the longest seconds possible, it hung there, suspended. Data and information scrolled through the corners of the screen, the font impeccable, blue, and meticulously small. There was a silence as everything seemed to come to a standstill. Even the world seemed to hold its breath.

And then, right before the verdict for Conan's life, the door slammed open. Everyone's attention, however unwillingly, flashed to the open doorway. Not a single soul was paying attention to the heart monitor… when it alone decided the boy's fate.

* * *

><p>This is a terrible cliffhanger. It doesn't even hang… off like a cliff. Or something.<p>

But it doesn't really matter, I guess, because the next chapter's already there.

OMFG. DON'T YOU DARE READ IT. I HAVEN'T EDITED IT YET. NOOOO TT^TT

But really, the cliffie I had here before was seerrioouslly lame. Ultimately lame.


	3. Things Get Messy

**A/N[edit]: **Sigh. Take two on chapter three, begin! Or not, just wait until this little author's note ends…

Enjoy again. Do I need to state the obvious disclaimer? Nothing belongs to me. I'm a hobo, okay?

Oh yes. Cursing in this chapter. Wait… If I'ma hobo, doesn't that mean I shouldn't have access to a computer? Hmm….

-Icie911

* * *

><p><em><strong>Things Get <strong>_**_Messy_**

* * *

><p><em>You can run, but you can't hide forever… <em>

_I'll shatter your life into millions of crystal sharp shards._

* * *

><p>The night was the blackest black, teeming with darkness so thick you could choke on it. Inside a gleaming black car, a Porsche 356A to be exact, two men sat quietly. One man, the taller one, with long silver hair, smoked a long cigarette; while the shorter, stockier man hid his eyes behind a black hat and sunglasses even though it was the middle of the night. Both were dressed from head to toe in an ominous black color. The silver haired man typed evenly and quickly on a dimly glowing laptop. After a while, he smiled…far from cheerfully. Raising his head, a pair of bloodthirsty, killer's eyes gleamed above his condemning smirk.<p>

"Thought you could hide, mm?" he murmured softly, his voice chilling and horrible. "Sherry."

The shorter man jerked at the name. A nearly nonexistent chill sparked down his spine. "You found her." A cold smile played on his face. "Oh, we've been waiting for this moment…"

"It's perfect timing too," Gin drawled slowly. "Soon it'll be the anniversary of the day Sherry betrayed us, about a week from now. And, well, she's gifted us a little… _present… _as well."

"Present, eh?" Vodka mused. "Who?"

"That teenage brat," he waved his hand vaguely, dismissively, "that we fed Sherry's pill to. Arrogant kid, somewhere after that dumb coaster."

Realization dawned on the stockier man. "Ah, Kudo Shinichi. Tantei, annoying as hell. Tropical Land, I believe. I thought he died?"

"Mm, that's him. Obviously you didn't do your job well enough. He's alive and well." Vodka bit back a stinging retort with difficulty, allowing Gin to continue. "I've done some research. According to a reliable source, some other brat named Edogawa Conan appeared the same night we drugged that Kadu something brat."

"Kudo." Vodka corrected. Taking advantage of his partner's temporary lapse of silence, he asked, "So a kid appeared the day we 'failed' to kill him. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Here's where things get a little… unreal. Our traitorous little Sherry is currently eight years old, which is why she hasn't been found until now. Girl goes by an alias, Haibara Ai if I remember correctly." Gin scowled.

"But that's…" Vodka stammered. "How is that _possible_?" Vodka asked, slightly nervous. "Sherry… she's eighteen. Actually, around nineteen now that it's been a year."

Gin sent a disgusted look out into the darkness. "It seems Sherry's little wonder pill had a few… glitches. Under certain circumstances, it can shrink someone by ten years." Vodka didn't say a word, a suspicious aura wrapped tightly around him. "So here's what happened. We feed that teen brat one pill. We leave him to die, but he shrinks instead. He manages to score a home at Mouri Kogoro's place, and makes him famous. After all, at almost all of Sleeping Kogoro's cases, the chibi brat was _somewhere_ to be found. Sherry disappears along with a pill from my case. The same day, a certain Haibara Ai appears at Teitan Elementary School. School interfaces are pathetically easy to hack." Gin tossed a glossy photo into Vodka's lap. The school photo of Haibara, a rare smile spread on her face.

Vodka's breath caught. "Definitely Sherry." He pulled out a picture of young Miyano Shiho, just in case. Identical… except for the clothing and Haibara's smile. "It's easy to believe how she might've shrunk, but how about that Kudo brat? How are you sure about him?"

Gin tossed two more pictures Vodka's way. Kudo Shinichi grinned confidently from one, an intelligent gleam sparkling in his brilliant blue eyes. Conan was looking down in the other one, the expression and light in his eyes familiar. He was donned in his glasses, bowtie, and all. Gin didn't need to look at Vodka to sense his doubt. Two more pictures landed on Vodka's lap. Kudo Shinichi, age eight, a childishly critical expression on his face. Conan without his glasses.

"Teen brat, chibi brat, young teen brat, chibi brat without glasses." His words, although simple, hit home. Vodka was more or less convinced. But Gin wasn't letting off until he was a hundred percent sure.

"Fingerprints were the dead giveaway." Gin laughed a poisonous, cold laugh. "There was a news leak on the internet, and I found a place the teen brat had appeared. I _borrowed_," Gin smirked, "this helmet, and an old clay project from Teitan Elementary labeled with the chibi's name." A dark shape in the backseat revealed a Dark Knight helmet, and closer examination brought forth a miniature dolphin crafted out of white clay.

"And…?" Vodka asked testily.

Gin snorted. "I tested for fingerprints. The results just came in. And what do you know…" Gin turned his laptop in Vodka's direction.

* * *

><p><strong>MATCH<strong>

* * *

><p>The words were blocky and glowing red, printed clearly across the screen.<p>

Gin scowled, however. "I also found Irish's fingerprints on both samples. He came with the same result, but didn't tell us. But we've already taken care of him." Vodka nodded subtly. A dark, intense atmosphere cloaked the car while Gin snarled.

Suddenly, his mood brightened. "It's still pretty damn wonderful," he smirked. "I get to kill our lovely Sherry _and_ that goddamned bratty kid again. It's going to be a good week."

Vodka shot Gin a suspicious sideways look when he wasn't looking. It _was_ going to be a lovely, blood-splattered week. So… why was there the slightest, _barest_ hint of doubt in Gin's voice? A small, condescending voice sneered inside of him.

_Because he's never failed at killing someone before._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Beika Airport, few hours before…<strong>_

A beautiful lady and a gentleman with glasses wheeled their luggage outside into the afternoon sun. The lady had curled, golden-auburn hair and a striking, famous face— an actress's face. The man had darker hair, an angular face, and intelligent cobalt eyes— a well-known author's eyes. Husband and wife.

They were dressed casually; identical worried expressions painted their features. Their pace was fast and urgent, and under close observation, the lady's fingers were fisted tightly around the handle of her red suitcase. The man quickly flagged a taxi. A yellow car parked in front of the pair and the cabby came out. He bowed to the lady politely, then took both suitcases and loaded them into the back of the taxi. While he did this both the lady and the man got into the cab. As the driver got in and buckled up, he glanced backwards quickly at the duo. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you the famous actress Kudo Yukiko?" His voice was incredulous as he addressed the lady. "A-and you're Kudo Yusaku? The author of the Night Baron series?" He stared at them for a few moments and then quickly regained his poise. "To what do I owe the honor?" the cabby asked politely.

Well, it was rather obvious that it was because they needed a ride somewhere, but Yusaku distractedly gave him a quick version of the real reason they had returned to Japan. "We're here because our son, uh, I mean a close relative, is possibly dying. We want to see if we can do anything to make him better or at least see him, until, you know…"

"Oh I'm sorry…" the cabby said apologetically. He seemed genuinely unhappy for the pair. "I'm assuming you want to go to the Beika Hospital then?"

"It's not your fault," Yusaku gave the cabby a small smile. "The Beika Hospital is exactly where we want to go. Thank you."

"It's already been a day since he was admitted into the hospital…" Yukiko's voice was small. Suddenly, she sat forward. There was a steely fire flared in her eyes. "How fast can this cab go?" Yusaku suspiciously shot his wife a warning glance, which she pointedly ignored.

"Well… the speed limit's at sixty miles per hou-" A thick wad of money landed squarely in the cabby's palm, landing with a crisp sound. The cabby's eyes grew enormous at the sum.

"Go as fast as humanely possible and you can keep the change." Yukiko's voice was terse.

"Yukiko!" Yusaku hissed quietly, so that the cabby wouldn't hear. The cabby gently placed the money down. There fresh gleam of determination in his eyes.

"Beika Hospital, coming right up!" he cried as the taxi rocketed out of the airport, spewing smoke trails. Yusaku was thrown back into his seat.

"Oof."

Yukiko ignored him, choosing to stare out the window with a vacant stare.

"Hey, Yukiko." Yusaku prodded his wife gently, "This guy's not too bad, eh?" The surroundings whirled by. Barely a hint of a smile ghosted across his face. "He almost reminds me of the way _you_drive-" He trailed off when he saw Yukiko wasn't listening.

_Shin-chan, hang on. We__'__re coming for you!_

* * *

><p><em><strong>At the Beika Hospital<strong>_

"Excuse _me_? He's my son, and he's dying! You _will_ let us see him, you _must_!" Her voice was furious.

"Please Yukiko, calm down!"

"Yusaku! We _have_ to see him!" She clung onto Yusaku desperately.

"Excuse me, you have my deepest condolences, but I have strict orders not to let anyone in yet. You must wait at least half an hour until he can be visited. It's regulations."

Dejected, Yukiko sank into a chair, watching a heated debate go on between the guard and her husband. Yusaku was gesturing wildly. The guard refused to budge an inch.

"Do you know who I am? Do you understand our relationship to the boy? He's our _son_, for goodness sake!" Yusaku shouted, throwing his hands up into the air in a last ditch effort. "What type of regulation keeps parents from seeing their son as he's lying on his deathbed?!" His face was an angry red and a panicked light had entered his eyes.

"Sorry sir, no proof of identification, no entry allowed." The guard replied dryly.

"Goddamnit! Do you think we come here with proper _identification_ when our son is _dying_?!" Yusaku screamed in the guard's face, his voice breaking. "He's too young… he hasn't had enough years on this god-forsaken world. Damnit!" His fists clenched and unclenched helplessly.

The guard's eyes softened, but he still would not move. He wouldn't risk his job. He had been given strict orders… he could only watch and shake his head apologetically at the man before him.

Yukiko was startled and more than bit scared. The Yusaku she knew never lost his cool, not once. Nothing had ever broken his calm demeanor, and furthermore, Yusaku _never_ cursed. He abhorred cursing; he thought it was vile and undignified. The first time Shinichi cursed Yusaku had nearly beaten the boy. And now, here he was, throwing profanities at the guard before them.

Suddenly a rather large man came into the picture. Donned in the brown hat he was always seen with when on a case and his usual brown trench coat, he was a sight for sore eyes. "Police." His voice was gruff. A quick flash of his badge showed his rank. Inspector.

The guard saluted to him and said, "Just keeping regulations, Inspector-sama. These two are trying to get into that young boy's room. The one in critical condition. They have no proof showing as they are related to the boy, so I'm not allowed to let them in."

The inspector turned around and saw the tense Yusaku and depressed Yukiko. Yukiko looked up, met the inspector's eyes, and cried out, "Megure-sama!"

At the same time Inspector Megure called out, "Yusaku-kun, Yukiko! Never thought I'd see you here!" After a quick chat which soothed Yusaku and cheered Yukiko, the inspector flashed his badge again.

"I know these two personally," Megure told the security guard. "I swear by my badge that they're related to the boy, Conan-kun. I would go and show you proof now, but as you said, the boy is in critical condition and it is imperative that they see him." His tone was crisp and cool.

"The time- and also, whether he's _in_ the visitor room or not-" the guard was cut off.

"I believe regulation states that they had to wait at least half an hour. If what they tell me is true, it's already been forty five minutes," Megure raised an eyebrow, his voice bordering impatient.

"Of course. But still, the question of whether he's in the visitor's room-"

"Isn't that Conan right there?" Megure gestured toward a stretcher quickly speeding by, then promptly disappearing into a room nearby. Kogoro chasing madly behind, a panicked gleam in his eye.

"What's with him?" Megure muttered to himself, shooting the other man a strange look.

A few minutes later, Agasa and Ai raced by, exchanged terse looks. Not too long after, Ran and Eri sped by; Eri supporting Ran, who looked a bit dizzy.

"Of course, then." The guard was very polite. "I'm sorry to have bothered you." His voice was apologetic. "I really hope that your son gets better."

Megure's brow wrinkled. "Wait, what? Son?"

"It's not your fault," Yusaku released his breath quickly. "Sorry to have troubled you."

Megure looked questioningly at Yukiko. "Son?" He repeated.

Wide eyed, Yukiko shot Yusaku a look before quickly dragging Megure off in the direction were the stretcher had disappeared.

Yusaku could imagine the wild, prolonged stories Yukiko would be making up for Megure. Worriedly, he quickly tailed them. Listening in, he was relieved to hear Yukiko's brief, believable statement.

"Oh, he must have just made a mistake~"

* * *

><p>The inspector sighed, collapsing on a bench near the room Conan had been wheeled into a few minutes before. Room 312. He muttered something incoherent about Conan not being able to die yet, he was so <em>young<em>. And hadn't he always thought Conan reminded him of… oh, Shinichi maybe? Speaking of which, wasn't it strange how…

A look flashed between Yukiko and Yusaku.

_We can't let his train of thought get any further._

_I know, I don't think dear Shin-chan would want his identity revealed now, hmm?_

As if they'd practiced it a million times, Yukiko and Yusaku each grabbed one of the inspector's arms and dragged him up, leading him towards the room.

"What? W-why are you guys dragging me into Conan's room?"

"It's about time you see dear Conan-chan, don't you think so Megure-seibu?" Yukiko answered innocently, her voice as sweet as honey and smooth as silk.

"Yes, my friend. Megure-sama, you should really go in to check on Conan-kun. I'm sure it will make him feel much better to see you," Yusaku declared, his voice deep velvety. If one didn't know any better, it would sound as if he was trying to hypnotize the inspector.

"W-well I'm _flattered_ but…" Megure didn't get a chance to finish his sentence.

"Nonsense!" chorused Yukiko and Yusaku in perfect unison, and without further ado, dragged, er, _led_ Inspector Megure into Conan's room, throwing the door open cheerfully.

The somber atmosphere, not to mention the pale Conan lying unconscious in bed, erased Yukiko's and Yusaku's smiles quicker than they appeared. Their attention solely focused on the fragile looking boy, they never noticed Megure quietly slipping out the door. Everyone had turned at the sound of the door bursting open. Surprised at the sudden appearance of Shinichi's parents, Ran eventually found her voice.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Everyone stared at the duo, wondering the same thing. All but Agasa and Ai, who wore twin expressions of fear and worry.

At the exact same time, Yukiko, seeing her son's terrible state, wailed, "Shin-chan!" In a quick flurry, she was at his side.

"_Yukiko!_" Yusaku hissed. Yukiko's hands flew to her mouth, but the damage had been done.

In quick succession, Yukiko's outburst dawned on Ran, Eri, and Kogoro. Agasa looked stricken, and Ai buried her face into her hands, as if she couldn't bear to watch.

Kogoro regained his voice first. "Oi. This brat— kid," he corrected himself, pointing towards Conan. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but his name is Conan, right?"

Ran would have replied, 'Ever since his parents named him, otou-san!' but she wasn't quite sure anymore, and was frankly to stunned to say anything. She simply nodded, speechless.

"So," Kogoro continued, puzzled, "why the hell did you call him _Shin-_chan?"

"Ah, Yukiko…" Eri's gaze flickered nervously around the room, not even noticing her husband's foul language. "Shin-chan… Isn't that what you call Shinichi?"

"Eri!" It was Yukiko's turn to hiss at someone. She flashed a meaningful glance in Ran's direction. It was to mostly distract them— she needed to think up a story, _pronto._

"Oh no." Eri turned to Ran; who, inevitably, had started shaking. A glassy, hurt expression shone from her eyes, confusion and devastated hope written plainly across her features. "Ran, it's not what you think…!" Eri desperately tried to retake her words, in vain.

But once again, the damage had been done.

"S-Sh-Shinichi?"

Guilty, panicked looks flashed around the room.

Things were getting messy very quickly.

* * *

><p>Whew. Chapter three done. I didn't get much farther than the previous chapter, but it was necessary to fill in some info. After all, Gin and Vodka are introduced first in this chapter. Ditto with Haibara, Agasa, Yusaku, Yukiko… anyway, ciao 'till next time!<p>

Remember— reviews are always appreciated!

OMFG DON'T YOU _DARE_ READ THE NEXT CHAPTER UNTIL THE WORD 'EDIT' IS NEXT TO THE AUTHOR'S NOTE! DD:


	4. Closing In

**A/N: **Would have been done sooner but...Thanksgiving and all. Cursing in this story again, done by a doctor in the end. Now it starts to get better...

Thx for the reviews!

-Icie911

* * *

><p>"Yukiko!" Yusaku snapped again, his expression worried. Yukiko looked up, her expression stunned. "B-b-but <em>Yusaku<em>!" Yukiko cried, her lower lip trembling, forming a childlike pout. "You know I didn't mean to! But then I saw him, and then- and then-"She broke off, crying a bit.

"Now Yukiko; I know, I know."Yusaku comforted his wife. "The more important thing now is-" he addressed Agasa in the corner. He whispered, "Does his identity still need to be hidden? Or can we finally reveal…"

Professor Agasa's eyes softened in understanding. But although his eyes were compassionate, his mouth was set in a straight, hard line. But then he looked at Yukiko, and Yusaku's pleading expression.

"Well-" Agasa began to cave in. Luckily, Haibara interrupted.

"Absolutely not. This situation has circumstances far too risky to bring new complications. Kudo must remain Conan-kun….for now at least." Ai said coolly, although her voice cracked a bit at the last part.

"And _you_ are?" Yusaku asked politely, genuinely puzzled.

"Ah, I believe I have never formally introduced you to Ai-chan." Agasa cut in. "Ai-chan, this is Yusaku and Yukiko Kudo; Shinichi's parents."

All the while this was going on; Kogoro, Ran, and Eri were busy with each other. Ran was still trembling hard, and Eri was doing her best to slowly comfort Ran, while Kogoro showed his rare soft side. He offered to do anything from getting her a drink to getting some help to dragging the brat she was crying for right back to her this instant.

"Yukiko, Yusaku: This is Ai Haibara." Agasa continued. "She used to be part of the Black Organization, but to escape from them she took the same drug Shinichi did. She was eighteen, now eight. In fact, she should be nine soon. Haibara-san actually made the APTX4869, except for it wasn't supposed to _kill_ people. But now she's constantly helping to find an antidote for Shinichi-kun. Her name was Shiho Miyano, and she betrayed them because they killed her sister…" he said, his voice lowering at the last part, careful not to let Haibara hear.

"Wait a second." Yukiko stopped Agasa, drying her tears. "The Black Org.? As in the ones who shrunk Shinichi and got him into this entire mess?" She asked, her eyes hardening uncharacteristically. "And she _made_ the drug that nearly killed Shin-chan?"

Agasa anxiously replied, "It's not like that! It wasn't _meant_ to hurt people, and now she's finding an antidote to _cure_ Shinichi!" Getting more panicked at Yukiko's hard, stubborn face, he rushed on, "And she _betrayed_ them Yukiko! Get a hold of yourself!"

Yusaku sent him a silent message: _A little quieter Agasa-sama._ He nodded in Ran's direction. She was being successfully calmed by Eri and Kogoro, although tears still dripped from her eyes. Then Yusaku took a look at his wife's face.

"Oh Yukiko…" he sighed. "Don't get like that! You know the girl's helping us now and that's what's most important. Because right now Shinichi needs as much help as he can get…" At his words Yukiko finally relaxed a bit, grudgingly agreeing that now Ai Haibara was on _their_ side, and that no harm would come to her valuable Shin-chan… at least not from _her_. All throughout this Haibara sat quietly, not moving an inch, watching the argument.

By this time the atmosphere had been sufficiently set back to normal; or as normal as you can get when there's a boy dying on a bed with a huge secret dragging him down. Eri whispered something into Ran's ear, her expression concerned. Ran nodded barely, her teeth clenched. She whispered back to Eri, and Eri stood up.

"Ran says she'll be fine now. She was just a bit…shocked. We all know that Shinichi hasn't been around for a while and now Conan is hurt and…" she trailed off. "It's confusing. So _Yukiko_ darling, why don't you explain to us why you called Conan-kun _Shinichi_? I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation."

Yukiko stammered something incomprehensible. She looked at Yusaku, reading his expression: _Make up something convincing Yukiko! Say something, anything, whatever! But remember you can't reveal Shinichi's secret. You're an actress for Pete's sake!_ Her eyes whined back: _But __**Yusaku**__! I'm not an actress __**anymore**__…I retired!_ And before Yusaku could reply, she blurted something about how Conan looked so much like Shinichi when _he_ was young, and through her distorted eyes, she thought it was her Shin-chan. Yukiko also smoothly went on to say that Agasa and she were somewhat related, and Conan seemed to inherit Yusaku and Shinichi's looks through some scientific whatever. And then before Kogoro or Ran or Eri could ask any difficult questions, she successfully distracted them.

"Look!" she cried triumphantly, her actress skills in full play now. "Conan-kun's alive! The heart monitor, look at the heart monitor!" She squealed like a little kid with a lollipop, shouting joyously, "He's alive! Alive! Do you see that!"

They did. All of them, every single one of them saw the luminous green line spike, up and down and up again. "Yes!" shouted Ran while Kogoro and Eri gave each other jubilant grins. Yukiko hugged her husband, not even acting anymore. "I'm so happy…"she murmured. "I know." Yusaku said; his face content. Agasa looked up at the ceiling and sat down with a _thump_. Ai sighed with relief, a true smile flowering on her face. "Looks like you made it through this one, Kudo-kun." She whispered softly. "We're- _I'm_ so glad that you did."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Later on that night…<strong>_

Ran slept soundly, her blankets snugly tucked around her. She breathed softly, her dark hair splayed like a cape on her pillow. A smile crept onto her lips, her dreams safe and happy. Just in the other room, Kogoro snored loudly, conked out by the late partying they had done. Eri had fallen asleep quickly on her bed, so tired and relieved that she didn't even loosen her hair out of its usual bun. Wisps of caramel brown hair framed her face as she stretched, relaxing again. At a hotel room on the third floor, Yusaku and Yukiko had fallen asleep as soon as their bodies hit the bed. They didn't change, brush their teeth, or unpack. They had partied late into the night: screaming for joy until a doctor told them visiting hours had been over a long time ago. They left Conan alone, after the doctor repeatedly assured that his chances of surviving were much higher now, he just needed rest. In the Agasa residence, a large bed sagged under the weight of one Hiroshi Agasa, snoring louder than Kogoro. However, the smaller, thinner bed next to him was empty, the blanket neatly folded and the pillow cool without a crease. No one had touched it for hours.

Down in the basement (or lab) Ai typed quickly, her fingers flashing across the keyboard. Her eyes gleamed against the dimly glowing computer screen. Finally, she hit save on her computer, and shut it down. Haibara knew her computer was set on auto-save, but it was always safer to make sure. Scraping noises were heard as she pushed back her chair, and her footsteps echoed gently on the concrete floor. Ai took off her pristine white lab coat, slipping into a warmer sweater. A clock read on the wall: _5:00_. Yawning, she brushed a stray strand of coffee colored hair out of her eyes, and padded upstairs. Agasa didn't notice at all, snoring louder and louder as time went on. Smiling faintly at the professor's face, she slipped quietly into bed, and finally fell asleep. By the time Agasa was woken by his own snoring, it was already 7 am, and Ai-chan was sleeping like she had been there the entire night. He chuckled fondly, yawned, and then changed. A few minutes later, he would be cooking breakfast for Ai, his special treat on Sunday mornings. Agasa sighed happily-it was nice to know that your closest ones were safe.

_**That same night, but at the hospital**_

The night was not as peaceful for the sleeping detective. He didn't stir, although you could swear his face wasn't so pale, and that he didn't seem so sickly. The shrunken detective was peaceful, but not the intent set against him. His glasses glittered on the dresser, flashing in the moonlight. The door was shut firmly, the window locked. But around three am, after the jubilant partiers had left, the door creaked open. It revealed a murderous face, framed by an onyx hat and long silver hair. Gin. The only difference now was dark gloves covered his hands, careful not to leave any fingerprints. He stepped cautiously, almost gingerly, into the room. Behind him stood Vodka, his sunglasses polished, his hat set low. His chilly grin glinted under the stars, and he donned a similar pair of gloves. Tucked into his belt was a pistol, just for backup. Shooting him would be too messy.

Confetti littered the floor, reflecting light. The room was sparkling with multicolored bits of light, but Gin took no notice. He pulled out the same pill used exactly a year ago. Tonight was the same night Shinichi Kudo had disappeared from the world, and the first night Conan Edogawa had appeared. Carefully, he picked up the glass of water and tucked the pill packet back into his pocket.

Vodka remembered what Gin had told him: _The pill shrunk the brat, right?_ He hadn't waited for an answer. _Ten years, so now the detective idiot is seven. So if we fed him the same pill…_Gin had left the sentence hanging ominously in the air. Vodka shivered, Gin had started to get a lot creepier recently. Maybe because it was the first time he actually _failed _to kill someone. Vodka snickered until Gin turned his killer eyes onto him. That shut him up real quick.

If he remembered correctly, that was when he had asked, "_But you know it was special conditions that shrank him, what if it doesn't work the same way?"_ Gin had sneered, _If he doesn't get shrunken so puny he dies, then the pill does its usual work. Untraceable. His insignificant cells kill themselves. It takes a few hours to work, but by then, there's absolutely nothing anyone can do._ And then he smirked, closing the subject. He had refused to answer anything further.

Now, Gin inserted the smooth, gleaming white and red pill into a sleeping Conan's mouth. He poured some water in, forcing him to swallow, and then stood.

"Good night tantei-sama*," he whispered, his voice dripping malice. "Sweet dreams."

Facing his partner, he jerked his hand toward the door, signaling them to leave. They had done what they had come to do. _One down, one to go._ Vodka stood and was about to leave the room when an iron grip slammed onto his shoulder.

"Baka!**" Gin snarled. "Are you losing your touch?_ Never _leave evidence." Glaring angrily, he kicked confetti onto Vodka's footprints, concealing his own as well. Still furious, he walked out the room, leaving his partner to trail behind him. Vodka grumpily strode on ahead, suddenly slamming into a shady corner when he saw a nurse humming down the hallway. In a rare case of panic, Gin flattened himself onto the doorway, not noticing a single silver thread of his hair float down. It drifted into Conan's room, obscured from his view as soon as he closed the door. When the nurse passed, oblivious to the two dark men lurking in the shadows, Gin strode up to Vodka.

He pinned Vodka to the wall, hissing, "You idiot. _That person_ will be hearing about this. If you weren't lazing about, we would have finished quicker and without a glitch!" The truth was that Gin was panicking. He was losing his edge-he didn't sense that woman there until he could _see_ her. That was dangerous.

Back to his cold exterior, Gin abruptly turned and walked away. A black Porsche zoomed away into the night, their job done. Conan Edogawa was as good as dead.

* * *

><p><em><strong>In the morning<strong>_

"Visitor hours begin at eight in the Beika Hospital." Agasa read. Ai was washing the dishes, and they were ready to see Conan.

"Great." replied Haibara, scrubbing bacon grease off of a plate. "Kudo-kun should be awake, and I can fill him in on my latest research. I have a new antidote I want to test, and it should actually-"

"Ai-chan?" Agasa interrupted.

"Yes?" Ai asked absently, drying off the last dish. "I was talking, Agasa-san-"

"Ai. Have you been working late at night again?" Agasa scolded. "I told you that you need the rest, not spending your nights in front of a computer screen!"

Haibara seemed to suddenly be fascinated by the time. "Look, it's already 7:45, should we go see Edogawa-kun now?" she asked innocently as she went down to the lab to grab the new antidote pills. Agasa sighed, accepting his defeat. _Next time_, he promised himself. _Next time I'll give her a full scolding, whether she's eighteen or eight! _But for now, he busied himself finding his keys.

"I know I left them somewhere…"he muttered as he rummaged through his pockets.

"Hmph." Ai snorted, snatching his keys off the couch. "Here," she tossed them to Agasa, who caught them neatly. "I know you're not a detective, but is it really that hard to solve the case of the missing car keys?" she asked teasingly, laughing a bit.

Agasa looked slightly offended. But then he smiled, walking toward his old yellow Beatle. It was nice to see Haibara laugh, she seemed like a cute little girl when she did.

"We'll get there before everyone else, and then I can talk to Edogawa-kun without any problems." Ai finished, and they sat silently for the rest of the car ride, but it was a happy silence.

_**At Beika Hospital, Room 312**_

Haibara knocked softly. When no one replied, she opened the door. A curtain was drawn around Conan's bed, billowing gently.

"That's funny." murmured Ai. "I don't think we closed the curtain on Edogawa's bed." She looked over at Agasa, who shrugged. He mouthed: _ I'll let you guys talk in peace. Wake him up if he's sleeping. I'm gonna go buy a juice._ And with that, he walked out.

Shrugging herself, she pulled open the curtain…and screamed. Agasa slammed the door open, huffing from running back. His eyes were wild, his hands empty.

"Haibara-san! What's the matter-" he stopped when he saw Conan.

Ai's mouth was open in shock, her eyes stretched in fear. Luckily, the halls were empty and no one came to ask about the scream. There, Conan was writhing in agony, his mouth stretched in a silent scream of pain. His skin was smoking, his clothes charred.

"What-" Haibara suddenly saw something catch the morning sun's light on the ground. She bent down, and picked up a silvery strand of hair. It was long, and Haibara immediately knew who it belonged to.

"Gin." She whispered, her voice shaking.

"Wait what?" Agasa asked, confused. "Gin? How did you know? _He _did this to Shinichi?"

"Here." Ai stood up, handing him the strand of hair. Agasa held it up to the light, and his breath caught when it shone silver.

Ai calculated quickly. "If we want to save Kudo's life, we have to act fast." She said, her tone hard again. "Knowing Gin, he probably didn't use poison. If he did, Edogawa wouldn't be alive right now…" she muttered. "So…so…" she snapped her fingers. "I got it!"

With trembling fingers, she pulled out the pill packet. "Wait, wait." Agasa shook his head. "What are you doing? And why?"

"Judging from Kudo-kun's state, Gin probably used APTX again. These pills, they were supposed to change us back for good. I finally was able to put together a full-time antidote for us. We were going to finally be able to become normal again…" she trailed off.

"Anyway, it seems Edogawa's shrinking again. His bones are melting, his skin contracting. By the time the drug is done, he'll be reversed ten years again. Of course, he'll be too young, in a stated of which you were never supposed to enter this world. APTX takes a few hours to work, so he has a chance of living. This antidote should reverse him back into Conan, age seven, nearly eight. But it won't work twice, because it's so strong his body will develop immunity to it. So it will save him, but I won't be able to change him back to seventeen anymore with this pill." And with that she fed him the antidote, pouring water into his mouth to help him swallow.

It seemed to work immediately. Conan's mouth opened to scream again: the pain was tremendous. This time it came out shrill and loud, lasting nearly half a minute. Finally he settled; his body tranquil and still. Under further examination, his chest rose and dropped; his heartbeat steady. Ai breathed in relief. Edogawa had made it through.

"But…..Ai-chan." whispered Agasa. Ai turned. "Will _you _use the pill antidote? You haven't used it, so it will still work on you, right?"

Ai smiled so sadly it nearly broke Agasa's heart. "If Kudo can't use it, do I really have a right? He has somebody, _everybody_ waiting for him. I….I have no one. And it isn't really fair is it?" Haibara asked softly. "Being turned into my adult form won't help, except that I'll be even _more_ recognizable as Sherry. Nothing will get better." And she abruptly turned away.

Agasa let her go. He knew that Ai didn't usually show her soft side, mostly because she was hurt so easily. She'd never admit it, but it was true. If he gave her time, she'd be back to normal in no time. So he sat patiently, waiting while Ai cried, letting her free herself from the painful burden she carried. It saddened Agasa to know that no matter what he did, nothing could lighten the heavy load off of Haibara Ai's shoulders. All he could do was lend a supporting arm when she let him.

Suddenly a doctor and a nurse burst in. Their uniforms were crinkled and they looked a bit ruffled, like they had thrown everything on in a hurry. Agasa and Ai turned simultaneously, Haibara quickly wiping her tears away. Taking a look around, the nurse rushed to Conan's aid. Too late, both Agasa and Haibara realized that Conan's clothes were still scorched.

"What the _HELL_ happened in here?" roared the doctor.

* * *

><p>*Tantei means detective in Japanese<p>

**Baka means idiot, or fool

Meh heh heh. Tsk tsk doctor, cursing is no good! Feel bad for Ai...sorry for being so mean to her! URGHHHHH...HW! Curse you stupid HW... reviews again? plz?

Love you guys! =D


	5. Darkened Dreams

**A/N:** I don't think there's any cursing except for the #%# kind. Chinese HW is weighing me down...got midterms and HSK and also the normal homework...and testing too. Plus a piano recital, regional chorus auditions, more projects, and this. So...psst. Don't tell my parents that I'm doin this. XD Reviews help though. Keep 'em flowin!

Here's the next chapter, enjoy!

-Icie911

* * *

><p>"Why the #$%* is my patient <em>smoking<em> and what the heck do _you _two have to do with it?" the doctor screamed, his face turning beet red.

"We have NOTHING to do with this! He was like this when we arrived! Did you hear the screams? DID YOU! WE WERE ACTUALLY_SHOCKED_ WHEN WE SAW CONAN-KUN!" Agasa screamed back, just as vicious.

Haibara cowered behind Agasa, half acting, half scared. She was acting because, well, she was supposed to be eight. Two adults were having a scream-down in front of her face, and a normal eight year old would probably be whimpering. On the other hand, Agasa never lost his cool either. Well, he sort of did, but not like this. Maybe _he_ was acting too…

_**A few hours of screaming later**_

One tired Hiroshi Agasa stretched into a chair, while Haibara sat cold-faced. By this time, the doctor had been sufficiently convinced that Agasa and Ai had nothing to do with Conan smoking like he had been barbecued then freeze-dried. They had called Yukiko, Yusaku, Ran, and Agasa even called Hattori and Kazuha. Yukiko and Yusaku had come first, and they were briefed quickly on what happened. At the moment they were busy postponing all the activities they had for this week, jabbing numbers into their identical cells, talking quickly into the phones. Ran hadn't been home: the message said Kogoro and Eri had taken her out somewhere to take her mind off Conan. Agasa was happy for them; it sounded like Eri and Kogoro were starting to get along better. That, above everything else (except maybe Shinichi coming home) would make Ran the happiest girl alive.

In the quickest train, the Metro Subway, Heiji and Kazuha had arrived an hour later; Kazuha holding a bouquet of bright flowers, Heiji twirling the subway ticket through his fingers. When they entered the waiting room, Heiji stuffed the ticket into his pocket and Kazuha placed the bouquet on the table.

"So," Hattori whispered, "How's Kudo doing?" Aloud he said to Kazuha, "Heeyyy, 'zuha! Why dontcha go give those flowers to K-k-Conan?" he stammered. He could already imagine Conan smirking at him, whispering _Smooth Hattori, real smooth._

When Kazuha left, Agasa gave him a quick summary on what had happened. By now Yukiko and Yusaku had snapped their cells shut in unison, and sat down.

Heiji whistled, "Man, Kudo was really lucky this time, wasn't he? But then again, he always squirms outta his troubles, just like the little worm he looks like now." Hattori winked.

Yusaku sighed wearily, "And who might you be?" It was kind of getting old. How many people knew about his son without _him_ knowing?

Agasa opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by Heiji.

"The name's Hattori Heiji. Maybe better known…as the Detective of the West." He said, flashing a bright smile, his green eyes smiling just as much. "Ya see, me and 'zuha came over ta Tokyo to see Kudo-ah I mean Conan."

Yukiko stepped up and said, "No worries Hattori-san. All of us here know about my son."

"Ahhh," Heiji sighed in relief. "That makes my life a bit easier, ya know? Oh yeah, and my friend doesn't really know 'bout Kudo, so you probably should just call him Conan in front of her." As if cued in, Kazuha walked in. Closely following her was Ran, and then Eri, then Kogoro.

Ran stopped at the doorway, blocking her father and mother. She looked kind of pissed off, and Hattori told her so. Embarrassed, Kazuha shouted at Heiji for a while, while he zoned out. When Kazuha found this out, she was so angry she chased him around the waiting room. Heiji sweat-dropped, silently begging for someone, ANYONE to save him from, as he put it, "lunatic 'zuha".

"Kazuha?" Ran said. "You can stop chasing Heiji-kun now." Confused, Kazuha stopped. An insanely grateful Heiji nearly bowed to Ran, saved at last.

"Now…" Ran continued, her eyes flaring dangerously. "Agasa-san?" she asked.

"….Yes?" answered Agasa, quite meekly.

"Why, may I ask, WHY IN THE WORLD DID YOU NOT TELL ME ABOUT THIS?" she snarled, instinctively dropping into her karate stance. "You _know_ how I would want to know, and now I come and see you invited just about _EVERYONE_ but me?" Ran accused.

"Hey, I didn't get invited either…"muttered Kogoro.

"Shut up Dad."

"..."

"So, "Ran continued, directing her attention back to the hakase*. "Remind me again, WHY?" she looked about ready to start punching and throwing deadly round-house kicks any second.

"That's, um, because I called you and you weren't home Ran-chan!" Agasa stuttered.

"And you assumed I wouldn't bring my _cell_ just in case-"

Suddenly a doctor burst in, cutting Ran off. She looked annoyed, about to start again, when the doctor asked anxiously if they were the ones waiting for Conan Edogawa. Something in his tone stopped Ran from continuing. They all nodded, suddenly silent and grim. All of them knew Conan was supposed to be in stable condition now, but something was wrong.

The doctor said, "I need all of you, er, that's a lot of people…to come with me."

He turned around to leave when Hattori reached out to stop him. "Hold it doctor. Where are we going? And why so serious?" he asked, his normally bright green eyes shadowed under the brim of his cap.

"I'm going to bring you to "the boy's" room." The doctor replied, walking out. Shrugging, everyone else followed.

In the room, the machine pulsed while Conan breathed steadily. He was still asleep, which didn't seem….right. It was pretty much noon, and although kids were supposed to oversleep, this was going a bit far…

"Sit down, all of you." The doctor said, all business. They did. Kogoro and Eri sat on the empty twin bed, while the others settled into the couch and chairs.

"Um, 'scuse me, but why are we 'ere again? Conan's condition is stable right? So whattare we doin' here?" Heiji asked, his eyes puzzled.

"Ya doof." Kazuha smacked him in the head. "I'm pretty sure he was gonna tell us 'till you interrupted, _Heiji_."

"OW!" cried Hattori, clutching his head. "That hurt! Geez 'zuha, you need anger management!"

"Why you-!" Kazuha yelled angrily.

"I thought I was going to tell you about the boy?" the doctor, his name was Dr. Mikihiko, cut in smoothly.

"Yah, _Kazuha_, so next time don't go whackin' my head off!" Heiji retorted, then settled in.

"As you are well aware, Conan Edogawa was targeted by the elementary school attacker, who always leaves his signature card, the ace of spades." Dr. Mikihiko said. "He has identified himself as only Revenge, so that is what the police call him. He's still at large, but the police are working on it."

"Yah doctor, we know. Get ta the point already, will ya?" Hattori asked irratatedly.

"Heiji! I swear that ya have absolutely NO patience! Can ya _wait_?" Kazuha yelled.

Before the fight progressed any further, Dr. Mikihiko continued, pushing his glasses up. "He lost a lot of blood, but due to a blood transfer donated anonymously, he has been able to survive. However-"

By this time, Heiji Hattori was thoroughly irritated. But before he could snap something at the doctor, Kazuha reined him in, gagging him effectively. He struggled, but under Kazuha's murderous glare he stopped squirming and quieted down.

"However, due to circumstances we have no explanations for, his body underwent severe conditions." The doctor continued.

Agasa, Haibara, Yusaku, Yukiko, and Heiji all knew what had happened. They shared a knowing look before turning back to the doctor's words.

"So now he's in a deep coma and we cannot say for sure whether he will ever wake up—"

"WHATTTTT!" shouted Heiji, unable to contain himself. "You're a doctor! Cantcha do anything? You gotta be kiddin' me!"

At the exact same time, Eri asked concerned, "Nothing? Nothing at all can guarantee he'll wake up?"

While Kogoro said, "You can't fix the brat, I mean, Conan? Why the heck not?

Ran just burst down crying. Kazuha tried to comfort her, while Kogoro and Heiji nearly ambushed Dr. Mikihiko, screaming and spitting into his face. Eri walked over the Ran and tried the same methods of comfort she used the day before, but nothing worked. Ai and Agasa shared a look, and they started rapidly whispering. If you listened carefully, you could hear snippets of their conversation.

"…Should we?"

"But no, because…"

"…they're closing in…"

"But is it necessary…"

"…no choice…"

"…but not now."

"Of course, wait…"

"How has it come to this…."

They finally came to an agreement. It wasn't the best, and it was terribly dangerous. But with their ace card out of play, they had no choice. It was now or never. Finally, it was time for the secrets to come to light.

Defeated, Kogoro and Hattori slumped, while Ran did the best to stop her tears. But all she could think was: _If only I had gotten to him earlier, if only I called the ambulance faster, if only, if only…_All the while, Conan breathed softly, in….out. In….out. His breath never wavered, never rose, never fell. The tantei was locked into the depths of his mind, and he might never escape. And all Ran could think was that it was all her fault…all…her…fault. The flowers Kazuha had brought wilted in a corner, the colors fading along with hope.

There were no parties today. Out of the dejected people, five held a secret that couldn't be revealed... not yet.

_**Somewhere, that night…**_

"Mmm-hmm, yeah, got it." A female voice rang through the dark. She hung up her cell phone, which glittered obsidian under the stars. Although you couldn't tell, she was dressed head to toe in pure black. Moonshine outlined her figure, perched with straight posture on a wooden box.

She smirked; she had given out a single clue about who she was: the song _Seven Children_. But it seemed the only one who could have figured it out was gone, that tantei-sama that should have died a year ago. Anokata**, they called her. And now her favorite Vermouth's 'silver-bullet' was dead. Of course, that _Akai_ traitor had been exterminated a long while ago. But she refused to think of _him_ now. Anokata was going to bask in the glory that all obstacles in her Black Org. were gone. And Gin was off the hook for devising such a quick way to kill the boy off. Although he seemed a bit… Off. His voice had an edge she had never heard before.

_Well,_ she mused. _I guess it'll soon be time to get rid of him, if he presents an obstacle…Shame. There was a time when I trusted him with my-hmm. Not life. No one is trusted with my life except me..._ and she laughed a silent laugh, her dark hair flaring like a cape behind her. No one stood in her way: not Gin, not a foolish tantei, nothing. Her organization would live forever, a thorn of evil forever imbedded in humanity's skin. And eventually…the world would _pay_ for the evil it had done to her a long, painful time ago. Nothing could stop her until then.

* * *

><p>*hakase means something along the lines of professor.<p>

**Anokata means the same thing as _that person._ Directed towards the highest boss of the Black Org.

Soo...whaddya think? Ran sure is crying alot. Can't blame her though. I'm just not being nice enough to poor Conan, am I? All his problems keep piling up. Ending is near...(in my head/my ideas). Just a while longer! What I _will_ tell you is that good for nothing serial attacker dude will get his backlash... REVIEWS!

Next one will come out as soon as possible! (ASAP)


	6. Shinichi's Secret

**A/N:** I'm sorry it took so long. Read my author's note? You'll know why. Anyways, thank y'all for being so patient and sympathetic! I gonna do all I can this weekend, the ban was lifted on holidays...this chapter's slightly longer than the others, anyway, 12 pages! YAY! Uh, so I've realized some ideas are influenced from other stuff. Like, the fingerprint thing? I kinda borrowed it from the thirteenth movie, _The Raven Chaser._ And the part later, about Shiratori and the barn shed? _The Fourteenth Target._Hey, but I don't revolve my story around it, it just to keep 'em in character, 'kay? GOOD! :)

**Curse Alert: **Um. Megure curses a lot later on in the chapter. Like. Alot.

**Cliffie Alert:** ...yeah. Sorry. :{

Hey, it's happier for Ran at first, so I don't make her suffer ALL the tiimmeeeee! =)

UUUUUMMMMMMM ENJOY! And Happy New Year! Yes, I do know its a bit early. I'm sorry, okay? :(

-Icie911 ;)

* * *

><p>"Wait, say that again? I didn't hear you. Sonoko?" Ran asked, absently twirling a dark lock of her long hair.<p>

"Jeez Ran, you must be deaf or something. I said- DO YOU WANNA GO SHOPPING WITH ME TOMORROW AT THE BEIKA MALL?"

Ran pulled the phone away from her ear, grimacing. Sonoko could be so…_loud_ sometimes. And she was always on her case about Shinichi, as if they were stuck to the hip or something. _I mean, I tell her once (accidentally, by the way) that I have a little __**crush**__ on him, and she goes nuts!_ Ran thought as her father came in, grinning wildly.

"Otou-san!" she called to Kogoro.

"Whaaat? Did you just call me your _father?_"

"No, no! I was talking to my dad. Listen, I'll go shopping with you tomorrow, 'kay Sonoko? I gotta go grill otou-san about his whereabouts for the past two hours…." And Ran promptly hung up.

Kogoro by then had staggered to the kitchen, and lazily plopped himself in the chair. His head lolled while he grinned a stupid, drunken grin. When Ran huffed in all mad and in her interrogation mode, he simply let out a completely crazy laugh.

"_Otou-san!_" Ran shouted into her father's face.

"Whazzat?" Kogoro replied in his drunken stupor. "Ohhhh, Ran-chan! Go get me a beer, will you?"

"Otou-san! You're drunk again! Where were you for the past two hours? Off drinking at the bar again?" Ran yelled.

"No, no, you've got it all _wrong_," Kogoro beamed drunkenly. "I'm not at all druuuunk at _all_, darling!"

"You only call me _darling_ when you're seriously drunk! Y'know, this is why mom left you!"

"Nooo, you see I was just with her and she was-" Kogoro's eyes widened as he saw his daughter take a deep breath, dropping instinctively into her karate crouch. That sobered him up really quickly.

"Ah, no! Ran, you see I was just with Eri! We went out together to this ritzy restaurant place, and everything was fine!" Kogoro said quickly, his eyes stretched in fear.

"Wait, you were with Mom?" Ran asked, standing up straight again.

"Yeah, we went out to dinner!"

Suddenly, Ran smiled broadly. They had gone out to dinner! THEY HAD GONE OUT TO DINNER, AND THEY HAD GONE _TOGETHER!_ Suddenly, she frowned again. Knowing her father, he had probably completely screwed up the date.

"And were there any, say, _problems_?" Ran asked, her voice dripping malice.

Kogoro sweat-dropped. "Well, you see, the place was all fancy and stuff. And I kinda thought that _Eri_ was gonna pay the bill, 'coz she's the one who asked me…"

"Otou-san, you're such a jerk! Everyone knows that a man has to pay the bills!"

"Well, I actually _did_ pay, so like I said, everything was fine!" Kogoro protested. "Yeah, and it completely emptied my wallet..." he muttered under his breath.

Ran rolled her eyes. Her father could be so _clueless_ sometimes. But at least he had been a gentleman (sort of) and paid the bill anyway. She smiled again- maybe they were finally getting together again! Maybe they had a chance!

_But then again,_ Ran sighed, _I always think that, and otou-san always screws things up. Hopefully this time okaa-san will come back for good…_

It had been nearly 3 days since Conan had been put into his coma. Ran was worried about him, and constantly hung out with Sonoko to get her mind off him. Of course, she couldn't and always blabbed about how worried she was, and Sonoko was fed up with it. Just yesterday, she had gotten so annoyed, she had snapped at Ran.

"Sheesh Ran! Will you _stop_ it about that ankle-biter! The world does not revolve around him, you know!" she had shouted, her face annoyed. However, she stopped when she saw Ran's face fall.

"…sorry Sonoko, I didn't know you felt that way…" Ran had said, her head dropped low.

"No, Ran, wait! I didn't mean that!" Sonoko had cried desperately. "It's just-"

"I know Sonoko, its okay." Ran had said, smiling up at her friend. But the hurt was betrayed in her eyes.

Since then, Sonoko had called Ran and texted her a million times, and Ran finally agreed that Sonoko could treat her to a shopping trip to "make up for what she had said." Ran still honestly thought there was nothing for Sonoko to feel sorry about. She was only expressing her true feelings, and Ran respected that, although she scarcely mentioned Conan around Sonoko anymore. Now she went to sleep happily, with the luck that her parents would reunite and a fun-filled day with her best friend. Today Conan was simply a gray shadow cast over her thoughts- there, but barely.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The next day, after shopping<strong>_

Ran sighed happily. Life didn't get happier, when you had your mother and father getting back together and a nice day with her friend. Yes, her parents were actually getting together again! Finally! Her dad had asked, blushing all the way, as she was told by her also blushing mother. He had asked, just like the gentleman Ran knew he could always be! Well, more like the gentleman she always _hoped _he could be... _And_ her mother had agreed, finally! At long last, her mom was coming home, under one condition: Kogoro had promised to try to get his act under control. It was a beautiful sunny day, they sky cloudless and the sun brilliant gold. And Ran's mood reflected it, although it was only 3 pm, she knew it was going to be a great day.

Grinning, Ran propped her feet up on the table (something she never did) and sighed again. _Now if Shinichi just came on home…then everything would be perfect. Where is Shinichi anyway? He hadn't called or visited in ages. Is something wrong? He usually calls on Saturdays, but yesterday no one called…Maybe he was wrapped up in some other case._ Ran rolled her eyes._ That detective geek always manages to be totally inconsiderate…_Still, Ran's brow wrinkled in worry. It wasn't like Shinichi to miss a call very often. _Whatever. I'm not gonna waste a day worrying about __**him**__ of all people._

Suddenly, Ran's phone dinged. A text message. Despite herself, Ran leapt up and grabbed the phone. _Please, oh please be Shinichi…_she prayed. _Don't leave me worrying about that mystery fanatic…let it be him! _It wasn't. Sent by an unknown number:

_It's time for you to know these secrets. _The message read. _The secret that will endanger your life as well as the ones around you. If you wish to know them, meet me on 22 Beika Block. I'll be expecting you in ten minutes. If you do not arrive, I'll assume you do not wish to learn these secrets. Until then-_ and then the text ended.

"What?" shouted Ran to her cell phone. "How am I supposed to- argh!" she furiously texted a reply: _I need to know some details. Why should I be interested?_ She pressed send. A glowing red "_**X**_" appeared, following with black block letters: **_Address not found. Invalid number, please try again later._**

Whoever had sent the message had made sure that no one could send messages back. And the message sounded ominous, dangerous. Ran decided to call her parents and ask them to go with her, just in case. If it was a prank text, well, whoever sent it would be dead sorry.

Just as she was about to make the call, another text came, as if the person on the other side was psychic…..or (s)he was _watching_ Ran. Shivering, she opened the message:

_It's about your precious….Kudo Shinichi. The tantei-sama._ Ran's eyes stretched in fear. Why were they dragging Shinichi into this? The message continued. _If you know what's good for you, come alone. I'm waiting…..eight minutes and counting._ The message was cut off-and something told Ran this time there would be no additional text.

Her fingers shook as she tucked the phone in her pocket. She was going no matter what, and she was going alone. Karate was one her side….right? _Great pep talk Ran, you really know how to encourage yourself…_she thought sarcastically, slamming open the window to her father's office and jumping out. Even though it was two stories high, she landed safely on her feet, her hands bracing herself, brushing the ground. A look of determination swept across her face. If Shinichi was keeping secrets, then it was about time for her to know. As for the dangerous part…she'd be careful not to let it leak out to her loved ones. The last thing she needed was her mother and father's delicate reunion to be shattered, and god, Sonoko couldn't even stand camping, let alone danger. No, Ran was going, and she was going alone.

The sun still shone a vivid gold, but Ran felt no warmth. A playful breeze curled around her arms, but all she felt was a cold, cold dread. What was she thinking? She was going alone, to some freako who was possibly _watching_ her and had lured her out. She didn't even tell her parents she was leaving the agency! _A little message won't hurt…_ she thought as she reached for her phone. Her hand froze however, when she thought: _Shinichi. Do it for Shinichi, don't be a baby!_

Using the remaining six minutes, she ran full speed toward Beika Block. Slowing to a huff, she cautiously walked up the street, careful to watch the shadows. Suddenly, she heard a cold, child's laugh echo around the empty street. It was hard, devoid of any trace of emotion.

"Ne, why so cautious?" Haibara asked, stepping from the shadows. She stopped in front of Ran, carefully tucking her hands into the pockets of her jacket. She smiled, but although her lips curled upward, no warmth showed in her eyes.

Ran let out a breath, "Oh, it's you, Ai-chan. I thought it was- never mind. Listen, it's not safe around here. I got this message to meet someone who is possibly very dangerous. I'm supposed to meet this person, so you should probably go back into Agasa's house. You could play in his backyard-" her voice died. The home she was pointing at, the hakase's home; had bronze plating on the front door. Two swirly numbers were engraved on the gleaming bronze:** _22_**. _This_ house was 22 Beika Block.

And there was Ai Haibara, standing in front of the house; her child's face innocent- all but her eyes. They were deep and expressive but at the same time hollow and icy. Ai smiled coldly, and beckoned towards the house.

"Right on time. Ten minutes to the dot." And those 2 short sentences pierced a cold arrow through Ran's heart. Her mind had gone numb. This child, the cute little eight year-old, was…who was she? Now Ran doubted that Ai Haibara was a normal elementary schooler.

Haibara reached up, unlocking the gates. They creakily swung open, inviting Ran into the fenced Agasa property. They walked stiffly up the pathway to the door, and Haibara opened it, leaving it wide open for Ran. She stepped through as well, walking into the cluttered area that had felt so cozy the last time she had visited there. Now it seemed to close in on Ran, as if she had claustrophobia like her father.

Haibara called out, "Hakase! Mouri-san is with me. We're going out back." Her voice echoed around the house, eventually reaching Hiroshi Agasa. Ran half expected the professor to call back and ask why Ran, of all people, would be visiting. But he didn't. For a long while, there was silence.

"Hakase!" shouted Haibara, looking slightly annoyed.

"Right here Ai-chan." Agasa appeared. He looked grim, although it must have pretty hard to pull off with motor oil balancing precariously on his mustache and a huge noodle stain on his dirty white lab coat. "Ran, it's time for you to know," he said simply, gesturing toward the sliding glass doors.

Haibara led her outside, into the cooling air and spring green grass. A cushioned lawn chair seemed out of place in the big, green backyard. Ai pointed at the lawn chair, not even bothering with formalities anymore.

Ran sat. She looked for the hakase, but he had vanished. She settled in, relaxing a bit because she was on familiar ground. But then she looked at Ai's hard face where a soft, child's face should have been, and chills ran down her spine again. _Don't worry, she's just a kid, right? Agasa won't let her do anything to hurt me…And besides, I'm ten years older than her! She can't hurt me, right?_ Ran reassured herself. _Of course not._

Suddenly, something struck her. "Oh, Ai-chan, do you want to sit down instead?" she asked politely.

Ai smirked. "No, Mouri-san. I think you may want to be sitting when I tell you this…" Ran looked confused, but stayed quiet while Haibara continued. "Well, let's start off from when Kudo left you at the amusement park. He ran after the stockier man in black, code name Vodka. After he saw them- that is, Vodka and his partner Gin, who was the other man clad in black on the coaster you rode, he was knocked from behind. He hadn't noticed Gin sneaking up on him, you see. Then they fed him an untested poison, which I will explain more about later, and left him to die. Now, this is where it gets a little far-fetched and very unbelievable. Bear with me please. Instead of killing him, the pill shrunk him into who you now know as Edogawa Conan-kun…"

_**In a dark alley that night...**_

Wild eyes gleamed from the dark, punctuated with heavy, labored breathing, gave the attacker away. His baseball cap was askew on his mop of messy curls, and he clutched a bloody bat dented so much it barely resembled anything. He whirled around, searching for an escape, any escape. But he was too late. Headlights flooded one end of the alley, blinding the man and revealing a squadron of police cars. On the other side, a portly man with a hat stepped up and flashed his badge, holding a gun in his other hand. Behind him flanked about thirty other police officers, each holstering their own pistol or shotgun.

"This is the police!" the portly man shouted. "I'm Inspector Megure, and you're under arrest! You have the right to remain silent!" With each word, he stepped closer, switching his badge with a gleaming pair of handcuffs. Two officers followed him, each holstering their gun warily. One was a quite pretty lady and the other was a fairly handsome young man. Sato and Takagi.

Something inside 'Revenge' snapped. He wasn't going down without a fight. He grinned wildly at the threesome, his stained yellow teeth dully shimmering in the flashing blue and red lights. Raising his bat, let out a maniacal cackle, and charged at the inspector and the two officers. A single ace of spades fluttered from his jacket pocket, drifting toward the ground as the attacker tried to bash the male officer. Panicked, Takagi fired his weapon. Fortunately, his hands were shaking so hard all it did was pierce the card, leaving a perfectly scorched hole burning smack in the middle of the glossy black spade. However, the attacker decided it would be safer to attack the female, the weakest looking one. Suddenly changing course, he swung his bat toward Sato's head.

Big mistake. _Very_ big mistake.

With a war cry, Sato grabbed his arm, flipping the attacker into the air and then slamming him onto the ground. In the process, the man's bat had been dropped on the ground, and five of his teeth had been loosened (three fell out), he got two black eyes, and nasty bruises that would probably keep him sore for months. Megure knelt beside the now unconscious man and handcuffed him. Sato brushed off her hands, and calmly picked up the gun she dropped.

Flashing her pretty smile, completely unfazed, she questioned, "So, Inspector. What's next?"

Grunting, the inspector said, "We take him to the station. He's going to be charged for life, because half of the kids he targeted have already died. He hauled the man to his feet, kicking his bat far away in case he suddenly regained consciousness. "Takagi. Get that bat, and make sure not to get your fingerprints on them."

"Yessir!" Takagi saluted, pulling on a pair of disposable white gloves and tucking his pistol in his holster. He ran to pick up the bat, then walked back to the inspector.

"Give that thing a luminol test. It doesn't look like he cleaned it at all, so it should have all the blood of the victims. Check for them just in case we're missing any kids. We don't want any more deaths." Megure ordered grimly.

"Got that!" and with that, Takagi ran back to a flashing car, which then screeched away.

"Sato. You and I are going down to the station. We're going to make sure this criminal has his taste of justice, and see him properly locked behind bars." Megure said, lugging the man off to another police car.

"Yes sir!" Sato said, giving him a hand in dragging the man. After they had cuffed him to the inside of the car, Sato climbed in next to him. Megure tipped his hat at her, and then started to close the door. He was going to a different car, reserved for inspectors. Right before the door shut, Megure stopped it. His back was to Sato and the criminal. Confused, Sato was about to say something when Inspector Megure spoke.

"Oh, Sato?" he tilted his head to the night sky, talking softly. "Good job tonight. You took care of the criminal well. I'm glad Takagi missed him, although I'm going to have to have a talk with him about firing his weapon on duty. You did well tonight, and I'm glad you were here with me," he repeated, closing the door gently behind him, never once turning around.

As the car drove to the police station, Sato glanced worriedly back towards the inspector's car. The windows were tinted so she couldn't see him, but she could imagine the frown stretching his tired face. He was like a second father to her, and she hoped he didn't take this case too hard. Sato knew what this reminded him of, that time when he was a lot younger. The time when a different attacker had gone after high school students, bashing them with a bloodied bat. At first, the hits were light, but the wounds grew deeper with every victim, until the first died. She knew this case brought up unwanted memories, things Megure would rather keep hidden under his hat. Hopefully, now that the attacker had been caught, this case would blow over. But deep inside, she knew it wouldn't. This, this despicable _scum_ of a human being had killed three kids. Three _elementary_ school kids.

His oldest victim was almost ten, a lucky boy who had survived. The youngest was five, a kindergartener. The ones he had killed in cold blood were: a seven year old girl, Tsuzune Makiko; a nine year old boy, Yuuto Ito; and a five year old boy, Kiichi Arakaki. Sato shook her head, clearing the pictures of the young kids. But they floated up through her memories, a snapshot of each cute elementary schooler. An adorable seven year old with sparkling green eyes and long, jet black hair… a serious nine year old with rectangular glasses magnifying deep brown eyes, sandy hair, a light sprinkle of freckles across his nose…and an impossibly angelic looking five year old, flashing a toothy grin, his dark chocolate hair flipped messily into his mischievous eyes, a red cap slung backwards on his head.

Wondering why such an _idiot_ would kill such innocent kids, Sato buried her head in her hands. She was getting a headache…and didn't notice the killer stir next to her. His catlike eyes gleamed as they opened into slits, his shackled hand reaching down towards his frayed jacket pocket. It fell just short. Shifting his position, the attacker tried again. Success. Sato was unaware as the crazy man drew out a sheathed knife, his face cracking into a murderous grin. In his world, it was time for _**revenge…**_

_**In the Inspector's car…**_

Damn. No matter what he did, he couldn't erase that memory. Damn. Damn. Damn. A pretty girl lay in his arms, smiling sadly. Her face was bloody, so were her arms and her school uniform. Blood dripped from his own head, messing with his vision. It was her fault. She wanted to, because she wanted to avenge her friend. But she hated the police, she absolutely despised them…and she had demanded to be a decoy. She just _had_ to…and now that damned attacker had hit them and…he had the license number, he had to do something, tell somebody…he struggled to stand. Carrying the girl with him he staggered up the road, down the block to…where was he going? He looked down, the girl's eyes were closing, her smile fainter than her breathing…and she was dying. He knew somehow, that she was dying, she would be dead soon…

Megure shook his head violently, shattering the memory. He needed to snap out of it. That incident had happened so long ago, and this was an entirely different attacker. For one thing, he targeted elementary school kids instead of high schoolers. And he had been caught already. Not to mention Midori was alive and healthy; he had seen her this morning, smiling as she handed him his bento. So why…? Argh. He shook his head again, and buried his face into his hands the same way Sato had done. He really needed to snap out of this… He sighed.

Straightening his back against the rough leather seat, he peered through the tinted windows at the dark sky. The stars trembled with light, and the moon shone luminously. Sighing again, Megure thought, _I'm really getting old. I mean seriously? Stars trembling with light? The moon shining luminously? Maybe I should've become a poet instead of a police officer. _

_If only there was someone after me that I could trust to take over, so I could just retire already. Takagi is too inexperienced- most times dependable in a sticky situation, but nonetheless too inexperienced. Officer Sato is brave and a seasoned police officer, but takes too many chances. She's too bold, ready to charge into anything by herself, making her own decisions. Officer Shiratori is cool, collected, and calculates chances in a reasonable manner, but such a __**terrible **__shot…He couldn't hit the inside of a barn shed if he was in one! And who does that leave? Yumi? She's a nice officer, but just that: an officer. I can't __**imagine**__ her ever being an inspector. Chiba? Same as Yumi. Kudo. He isn't even part of the police, and only seventeen…almost eighteen now, huh? He'd have to be at least 21 to get into the police…which means if he actually __**did**__, which is highly unlikely, then I'll have to wait 3 long years…_

_ I highly doubt Shinichi would be dragged down by a police job, anyway. He's too busy leaping around the place with that energy of his. I mean, he always used to magically appear when my cases showed up. I'd be all stumped, I'd turn around, and poof. He's there. And now, he slips through our fingers like water. Not a trace of him, and then one day, the least day I'd expect him, he's there. Now that I mention it, I really haven't seen him for a while. Almost 3 months…He always appears fine, smirking as he unveils the culprit, but seriously. What if something really happened to him? One day, he just disappears, and then Conan appears, like a mini-tantei. I'm not even kidding. Just. Like. Shinichi. Come to think of it, didn't Conan appear that day-_

Suddenly, his thoughts were shattered by a piercing scream. Sato's scream. The car in front of him screeched to a halt, skidding sideways into a metal pole. Sparks flew, and the top of the roof caught on fire. It licked the cool night air, then dissolved into a smoky mist. Another scream echoed through the suddenly silent night, as the driver for Megure's car slammed on the brakes, narrowly avoiding the same fate Sato's car had met. A chill ran through Megure as another scream pierced the night. There was no time for him to even give Kudo Shinichi another thought. He had to help, do something. The car behind him hit the brakes, and before it even fully stopped, Takagi had scrambled out of the car, onto the dimly lit night streets.

"Officer Sato!" he screamed into the choking silence. "SATO! _**SAAATTOOOO!**_"

There was no answer. All was silent. Too silent.

Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

* * *

><p>YAAAAAHHHH...so Megure should watch his language. Well, at least he only thought it...<p>

*cough*Kogoro*cough*...

Look, remember, the borrowing slight ideas from the actual release (Gosho Aoyoma's) is just to keep 'em in character, okay? _Remembeerrrrrrrr..._ Oh, and the alerts for cliffies and curses will appear more frequently through the beginnings of the chapters. Abbreviated:

**C/A:**

and

**C/H:**

Okay? First is Curse Alert, second is Cliffhangers. Okay! Next chapter out soon! (I hope.)

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Like my army of smileys? This isn't even a hundredth of what they really are! =)

Sorry. Kinda random.

I have a colossal project due soon for Math, a big one for Health, a 600 word essay for Chinese (don't even MENTION the studying and daily HW), piano I really need to start practicing (don't even START on me), not to mention trying to write this, draw some Bleach pictures for my friend, write a song (I'm starting), sooooooooo...

YOU KNOW THIS IS COMING!

_**REVIEWSSSSSS PLEAAAAAAAAAAAAASE! =D**_


	7. Coldness and Death

**A/N:**First and foremost, I'M SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG JUST TO UPLOAD THIS CHAPTER! But you know how it is...homework and piano memorization and Chinese finals and all that shizazzles. Oh snap, I have to practice now... stupid headache. I guess I'll leave you guys to this chapter! (Btw, I made it fourteen pages...to make up for its lateness) Oh! Almost forgot!

**C/A: **Eh, no. I'm fairly, pretty, not-really, sort of sure that there's no cursing.

**C/H:** Err...I don't _think _so... Actually I lied. I'm pretty sure there's a cliffhanger. ;)

Okay then! Enjoy! :)

-Icie911

* * *

><p>The sun filtered in through the leaves, casting a warm glow around a pair: a girl and boy. But Ran only felt cold, cold, cold. Shinichi stood behind her, smiling warmly. As usual, he was babbling about Holmes this and detectives that. Dead leaves crunched underneath Ran's feet as she walked, aimlessly moving forward. She felt like the leaves…dry, empty, dead.<p>

She remembered Haibara-san, or rather, _Shiho_-san, telling her about Shinichi's lie-riddled world. About Conan's lie-riddled world. And how Shiho had ended that Shinichi had kept it all a secret to protect his loved ones, to protect _Ran_. It was so hard to believe, but both Yukiko and Yusaku had grimly told her it was true, and so had Agasa. Ran felt like the air surrounding her had turned to glass- every step she took shattered the air, sending ice cold darts shooting toward her heart. It was as if someone had spooned out her insides, leaving her hollow.

Shinichi had just appeared; normal, 17 again. He had asked her, his voice serious, to take a walk with him. She hadn't asked how he returned to normal. Her mind simply accepted it, dully turning it over through her mind until, like waves; she wore it down to a smooth pebble. It lay coldly among the other information swirling through her mind, darker than shadows. _Black Organization. Gin. Vodka. Tequila. Sherry. APTX…_

Suddenly Shinichi stopped talking. Startled a bit, Ran turned around. His smile melted off his face. For a second, or maybe a minute, or even ten minutes, he seemed to be studying Ran, his face stony. Time stretched and bent and warped. Finally, he said something, softly.

"Haibara told you." It wasn't a question. Shinichi still called Haibara by her child's name. Habit, or because he refused to call her Shiho unless she was in adult form.

"Yes." The single word dropped like a stone into a lake.

"And you believe her. You know it isn't just a child's game, these men are real. And you know they're out to get me, to kill all those around me." Shinichi stated; his voice even. "And yet you still wish to bear this burden with….me."

Anger bubbled up in Ran. She hadn't asked to hold this weight, to bear this burden. She had simply been told it would put people into danger. Nothing more, nothing less. Why did Shinichi suddenly seem so…selfish?

Her voice flaring, Ran retorted, "You didn't trust me. You never did. You never do. You still don't. Only because of Shiho and Agasa do I know this information!"

"You know that's not true-"

"Do you know how worried I was?" Ran interrupted, her voice soft suddenly. "Every night, I hoped for you to come home, and every night," Ran's voice rose, shaking with anger, "You were sleeping in the room next door!"

"Ran…"

Ignoring Shinichi, Ran continued. Anger flashed in her eyes, licked around her soul, and her temper let loose. "The reason you were in this mess was because of your detective games! Your stupid, silly, SELFISH detective games!" she screamed. "You just had to follow those men, had to set loose this organization into all of our lives! You endangered everyone's life! Agasa! Shiho! Your mother and father! Heiji! And…me. Just for your stupid detective work…"

Something unreadable flickered across Shinichi's face. Previous concern changed into offense, then anger, then stony silence. He spoke.

"Detective work is not something to be laughed at. Your father is one, however bad he may be. We, as detectives, help try to rid this world of darkness. We solve cases; bring what's needed to justice. It's not something you should stain the name of just because-"

"SHUT UP SHINICHI!" Ran yelled viciously. "And what's with that? Another Holmes quote! He's a fictional character, Shinichi. This is real. _We_ are real."

Anger was dominating her. Shinichi barely recognized Ran anymore…he opened his mouth.

Before he could say anything, she said softly, "I didn't ask to bear this burden. I wasn't trusted enough-" her voice cracked. "And then you shoved this weight onto me. I don't want to live this life. This is the life you've chosen, not us. Any of us." She looked up into Shinichi's eyes.

"Oh Ran…" Shinichi whispered. "They've all chosen to help me. Of their own will."

"Would they have chosen to take this path? They want to help you. I know, I'm one of them. We only chose to follow your path to help you. We wouldn't tell you if you asked, we want you to finish what you've started…" her words were harsh, her voice as quiet as a breeze.

Shinichi felt the words as if Ran had slapped him full on the face. Dark doubts that didn't trouble him, as he tried to bravely press forward, flung at him like rocks. Faces flashed into his vision, his nightmares. Haibara dead. Agasa captured to try experiments on. Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko dead just because they knew him. His mother and father, dead. So many dead… for the first time, he wondered why he didn't stay with Ran. Why? Why him? Why, why, why… He snapped out of it when he heard Ran speak again.

"I thought I trusted you."Her voice was barely audible. "I… thought you trusted me. I thought we'd live long, so long… never plagued by darkness like this." A lone tear dripped down her face, as she turned her back to him. So softly Shinichi had to strain to hear the words, she whispered, "I thought I loved you…"

Shinichi bowed his head in shame. Grief shadowed his eyes, dark with fear and doubt. Not for himself, but for all the others he had endangered. He quietly walked up behind Ran and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Ran tensed a second before she whirled around, karate instinct taking over. The full force of her slap hit Shinichi's face a second later. Her eyes widened as she realized what she'd done. Shinichi flew backwards, straight toward a tall tree.

"Shinichi!" Ran yelled, panicked.

At the last second, he skidded on his feet, sending leaves and stones spraying around him. Edging away from the tree's shadow, he looked dazed. Ran bolted toward him. As she reached out to steady him, he moved backwards woozily, as if afraid she'd hit him again.  
>In his daze, he never noticed the cliff behind him…until it was too late. As he stepped backwards one more time, his foot met nothing but air, and suddenly he was falling. Pinwheeling his arms, he tried to find balance. Stunned, Ran could do nothing but stare… and then she reached out, snatching for Shinichi's fleeing hand. She missed.<p>

Ran could see Shinichi's face as he fell toward the river below. The violently turbulent waters were ringed with large, sharp gray rocks. She cried out to him, reaching desperately, but her hand snatched at only air. She couldn't bear to see Shinichi die like this, but she couldn't move, only reach toward his figure growing steadily smaller…and then suddenly her balance tipped. Frantically grabbing at the side of the cliff, a rock, grass, _anything_, she saw a small, dirty white sign. It lay flat on the ground, the signpost worn old long ago. Grass and moss crept over the edge of it, but she could still read the faint kanji on them.

Her heart sickened, she read the neatly carved words: _Cliff ahead. All people beware. Stay away!_ …and then she was falling. She screamed as she plummeted toward earth, her hair tangling and slapping her face, as she fell, tumbling into darkness. She knew she was dead, good as dead, and Shinichi was already dead or dying…

Ran woke up, cold with sweat. She sat in her bed, panting slightly. After she recovered a bit, she tilted her head toward her window, toward the silvery blue glowing behind a translucent blue curtain drawn across her window. The moonshine spilled into the room, across Ran's tense face and reflecting off her eyes. She closed her eyes, fingers clenching into a fists on her lap. Why did it seem so real? So vivid? Ran shivered.

She had so many nightmares…It had been a week since Ai had told her. And every single night, she had the same dream…Shinichi dying, because of her, she couldn't control her anger…chilled, that night Ran decided when Shinichi came to, she'd fully support him. No anger, no broken heart, no being upset about trust…And that night Ran locked away all those feelings away, deep into her mind. Cold, and feeling emptier than ever, Ran fell asleep again. This time she had no dreams, just drifting in a black, timeless void…

* * *

><p><em><strong>The next morning at the police station<strong>_

"Oh really? Looks like you got an admirer!" sang Yumi playfully, slapping Sato's face gently.

"Be quiet Yumi!" snapped Megure, his face turning various shades of tomato pink. "Damned instincts…" he muttered under his breath.

A ghost of a smile played around Sato's face. Her arm was bandaged above the elbow, and she looked paler than usual, but otherwise she was perfectly fine. Takagi kept glancing at her, concerned. They had just finished retelling the story about Hosakawa Kinichi, aka Revenge.

"Yumi, stop teasing Megure-keibu. You know I only think of him like a father, and he thinks of me like a daughter."

"But that didn't stop him from valiantly coming to your rescue, did it?" Yumi teased.

"_Yumi_."

"Oh, but that's right!" Yumi suddenly switched tactics. She tapped her finger thoughtfully against her lips, and slyly added, "You don't like the inspector…You like _Takagi!_" she finished gleefully. When she saw pale pink creep onto Sato's cheeks and Takagi flush red, she laughed.

"U-u-uh, I g-g-go-gotta go!" Takagi babbled, rushing out the door.

"Oh no you don't!" Yumi said, and with a naughty grin she grabbed the back of Takagi's shirt, effectively stopping him from leaving the room.

Suddenly Chiba entered, bumping into Takagi and sending a jolt through Yumi's grip. Feeling the hold lesson, Takagi made a wild dash toward the door and narrowly missed crashing into Shiratori, who was closely following Chiba. Pouting that her prey had gotten away, she turned to Chiba.

"Whaddya want?" she asked crossly.

Not noticing Yumi's expression, Chiba chattered excitedly, "Hey, hey! Shiratori wants to hear what happened a week ago! You know, with that murderer Hosakawa! In full detail!"

Megure groaned, "Did you finish the work surrounding those murders?"

"Yes Megure-keibu." Shiratori replied. "He's behind bars now. All the paperwork and such is finished." The news hadn't been released to the press that the serial killer had been captured yet. In the same sense, all victims, dead and alive, had been firmly confidential as well. The Black Org. hadn't realized Conan was still alive…yet.

Megure sighed. _Here we go again…_ He and Sato shared a look of exasperation. Simultaneously, they looked at Chiba's eager face and Shiratori's smirk. They communicated silently.

_You want to tell the story? _

_No. I'm already sick and tired of it…_

_Guess I'll start then._

Sato began, "We had finally found the lead we needed to corner Hosakawa. A single footprint, the sole clearly visible and the shoe size distinct…"

* * *

><p><em><strong>An hour later…<strong>_

"And I heard three screams. I recognized the first as Sato's and threw open the car door. Outside the car was chilly and dark, and I saw two people struggling. They were Sato and Hosakawa. I also saw the driver stumble out the other side of the car, but I paid no attention to him." Megure explained, more animated now that he had become caught up in the story.

Shiratori nodded, absorbing all the information, interrupting only occasionally to ask questions. Chiba re-entered the room, holding a juice can in one hand and a candy bar in the other. Sitting back down, he unwrapped his candy bar and listened to Megure speak.

"The first and second yells were from Sato, and the last was after they had exited the car. It was Hosakawa's. As I went closer, I was able to make out blood dripping down Sato's arm. That didn't stop her, though, from punching Hosakawa smack in the face and then flipping him into the air and smashing him into the ground."  
>Sato winced at the mention of her wound. She glanced dully down at her arm, a reminder that she hadn't been paying close enough attention to the culprit. <em>It couldn't be helped, what's past stays in the past...<em> Sato thought before turning back to the story.

Megure chuckled, "I don't think Hosakawa had any teeth left! Who knows how he'll eat in prison. I hear their dental care isn't exactly top-notch."

Sato chimed in, "And then I remember the inspector running up to me, and him shouting, 'Sato! We're supposed to _detain_ the killer! _Detain_! Not **kill**!' and I was really surprised to see him. Good thing Hosakawa was already unconscious! He could've taken advantage of that moment."

"Hmph!" Megure snorted. "I thought you cracked his head open! I bet everyone on the block could hear when you smashed his head into the ground! I was pretty sure he was dead, not to mention unconscious!" he retorted.

"And then I told him the first yell was pain, when he got me in the arm. I noticed at the last second, which is why I don't have a blade through my heart!" commented Sato. "The second was also mine, but because I had just punched him in the jaw with all my strength. You know how I have a tendency to scream when doing stuff like that." Sato sweat-dropped, half smiling.

"More like a death or war cry…" smirked Yumi, slapping Sato on the back.

"Unfortunately, he also dodged the last moment and I only got him in the side, enough to wind him. Shocked, the driver wasn't paying attention to the road," Sato continued. "So we crashed into the pole. I thought we were goners! But luckily the fire didn't reach the gasoline tank and sputtered out instead of exploding. I dragged Hosakawa outside to finish it, where I had more space."

"And then I double cuffed him," Megure said. "We checked him for weapons, and found a small dagger hidden inside his sock. After that-"

"You dragged his sorry butt off to jail!" finished Yumi triumphantly. "You go girl!" she pumped her fist in the air and slapped Sato's back again.

"Ow! Sheesh, Yumi, control yourself!" Sato complained. "That's the third time you've slapped me! Ever heard of impulse control?"

Yumi laughed, "You know me better than that! I'm gonna go get a soda. Maybe I'll find Takagi and tease him some more…" she added, grinning wickedly. And with that, she exited the room.

Shiratori stood up and stretched, loosening his muscles. Chiba did the same. Megure stood and exited the room, muttering under his breath. Something about stupid officers and their curiosity, plus how he'd have to assign more work to them…they had too much free time. Chiba left shortly after that.

Glancing at his watch, Shiratori said, "Time flies when we're having fun, eh? It's already 11:30. I have to meet Sumiko in half an hour for lunch. See you later, _lovebirds_!" he laughed, walking out the door. Sato and Takagi were left alone.

Slightly blushing, Sato remarked, "Doesn't Kobayashi-kun usually give Shiratori a bento box lunch?"

"I guess they're going out today." Takagi answered. Furiously blushing, he was about to say something when the door flung open.

"Ooooo! The couple is _alone_ in the room! When are you getting married? I wanna be invited!"

"Yumi…" groaned Sato. By now, her complex had returned to normal. The door slammed shut again. Takagi opened his mouth again, but was cut off by Sato.

"Hey, I'm hungry. Want to go out and eat somewhere, Takagi?" Sato asked casually, standing up finally and stretching.

"U-u-u-uh sure S-s-s-sato." Takagi stuttered, flushing again. Taking a few breaths to calm down, he managed to spit out, "I-it'd be m-m-my p-p-pl-pleasure."

"Good."Sato grinned cheekily at him. "You're paying."

Takagi rolled his eyes, but he felt warm inside. He was going on a date with Sato! He did a little victory dance inside his head. Outside, eavesdropping, Yumi smiled sneakily.

"You go Sato," she whispered. "The woman has to make the first move if the guy's too much a chicken…"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Somewhere dark and evil at midnight…and stuffs like that<strong>_

Anokata had a headache. She held her head in one hand and clutched a newspaper in the other. On the crumpled newspaper, dark bold print blared:

**Murderer Hosokawa Kinichi Put Behind Bars!**

But that wasn't what concerned her. Her fist tightened, her nails tearing through the soft white paper. The newspaper shifted; a sheet inside slipping out and fluttering toward the dusty floor. Six pictures of elementary schoolers stared up at her, each in full color. Printed neatly above three pictures were the names Tsuzune Makiko, Yuuto Ito, Kiichi Arakaki. Each was labeled **DECEASED**. The other three pictures had no names, but each was labeled as a survivor. They lived, so it was best to keep their names and identities secret.

The three victims still alive stared defiantly out of the newspaper. The oldest was a ten year old boy with a full head of curly gold locks, an obvious American. A six year old with close-cropped raven hair and striking gray eyes dominated the second photo. But what stood out the most was the third survivor picture. A boy around eight smirked, his intelligent blue eyes crackling with energy even in 2D, even behind his glasses lens. His hair was slightly ruffled and a bright red bowtie peeked out from the bottom of the head shot. A detective badge was pinned onto his dark blue jacket.

The boy was none other than Conan Edogawa.

Anokata scowled, tossing the deformed newspaper toward the wall. Gin wasn't losing his touch…he had lost it. And he knew all well what that meant… Anokata's phone buzzed, and after letting it ring ten times, she picked up.

"Gin." Anokata growled, her voice taut with anger.

"B-b-b-boss! I swear! It should have killed him!" Gin blubbered. "He was dying! I knew it, I _saw it_!" he cried desperately.

Anokata's mouth curved into a cruel, heartless smile. Gin had completely lost it. His specialty for killing, his finesse, his sanity. She knew this, she could hear it in his voice. Which meant he had failed even at the simplest task of masking his emotions. Funny how one boy could completely unravel a masterpiece like Gin, completely ruin him. And now Gin knew what had happened to countless others would happen to him…after all, there's no sense in keeping a failure. It would inevitably get thrown into the trash.

Something in her nagged her, a barest discomfort at getting rid of Gin. That little part of her that still trusted him, for what he had helped her get through a long time ago… but she couldn't remember exactly how. Roughly, she banished that feeling and resumed her conversation.

"Sorry, Gin." She cut in coldly, and hung up.

She could imagine Gin on the other side now, panicked as he had never been before. And soon, she knew, he was going to make plans on how to escape and survive. But they never lasted more than a week. Never.

She smirked, a sardonic smile playing around her face. The shadows lifted for a moment, the soft moonlight illuminating a pretty face twisted in evil. Then the light shifted away, and Anokata melted into the darkness once again.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Three days later…<strong>_

Haibara sighed. She had so hoped to delay this moment, for as long as possible. But clutching the newspaper with the Hosokawa case on it, she knew it was impossible to keep it away any longer. She should have told the police sooner, she knew. Haibara should've told them before the news came out 3 days earlier, before any information on Kudo could be revealed. But it was too late now. The Organization would be coming for him any time now, and only luck and planning had kept them at bay so far.

She called for Agasa, and rolled her eyes when she saw the large, bluish brown stain covering the stomach part of his lab coat, and also the burned hairs of his mustache.

"Really, Agasa-san?" Haibara groaned. "I could swear I washed your lab coat yesterday."

"Ah, whoops." Agasa laughed a bit, examining his stained coat. "Well, no one ever said science was neat and orderly!"

"Really, hakase, you need a wife." Haibara retorted. "I have no idea how you got around without me. I suppose it took you three hours to go buy food, two and half hours to find the keys to your car!"

"Hey, that's not nice." Agasa whined. Haibara sweat-dropped.

"Anyway, I was thinking… it's time."

"Again? So soon?" All the laughter drained from his face.

"Look." She handed him the newspaper.

"I don't understand-" his eyes suddenly widened in realization. "Oh."

"Yeah." Haibara replied grimly.

The hakase sighed. "I'll leave it to you again." He said somberly as he turned and walked back to his lab.

Haibara stared at the forlorn sheets of paper stacked into the cursed newspaper. She dropped her head into her hands and sighed, her hands icy against her burning forehead. Another headache. With Kudo out of commission, the org. closing in, and no protection or preparation whatsoever, her nightmares had come to life. Slowly, she stood up and walked to the telephone.

Ai slowly dialed Megure's number. After three, slow rings, he picked up. Cradling the phone in her hand, she sank into the sofa.

"Hello? Megure here."

"Megure-sama."

"Huh? What's this, a prank? Kid, why are you calling me? I've got things to do and cases to solve. Don't go around messing with police officers-"

"Megure-sama, it's Haibara Ai."

"Wha- oh! Haibara-chan! Why are you calling me?"

"This is going to sound a little farfetched, but please bear with me… "

_Kudo-kun better wake up soon..._ Haibara thought.

And sure enough, he did. In fact, he woke up the next day...

* * *

><p>Déjà vu much? Teehee. I'm sorry for the cliffhanger, but it was so perfect! =D But I'mna keep this short and sweet. I'm working slower than ever and things are really piling up. Fanfiction is the last thing on my mind recently. Unfortunately, it might be a while 'till the next chapter comes out, but reviews would really help speed things along. I mean, c'mon, I'm addicted! =P Anyways, my headache's killer... gtg and please please PLEASE review soon! TT^TT so tired...


	8. Smashed Into the Rocks

**A/N: **Hey, this chapter was uploaded faster than the last one! /automatically defensive.. -.-

Um, but this is (lemme check...um...) 16 pages on Word and it's double spaced... so...

Yeah I really don't have anything to say... so just enjoy this chapter! Yah! Conan awakens! =D

**C/A:** Nope! No cursing in this one!

**C/H: **~~~~~ Not telling! X3

-Icie911

* * *

><p>Megure stared aimlessly at the ceiling. So did Takagi, and Shiratori. Sato, Yumi, and Chiba hadn't been there when Haibara suddenly called. Shiratori had just arrived back from lunching with Kobayashi-sensei. Ai had started to explain over the phone, but quickly decided that they would meet at the station instead, to talk in secret.<p>

Haibara had left the police station quite a while ago. The words rang in all of their ears, again and again.

_Edogawa Conan is really Kudo Shinichi…_

_Edogawa Conan is really Kudo Shinichi…_

Of course, Megure did have his doubts before. Wasn't he thinking somewhere along those lines before Yukiko and Yusaku had gone in to see Conan at the hospital? He had ditched at the last second though, quickly leaving through the doorway before he saw Conan's pale face.

And about that. Haibara, or Shiho, had told them that it might be easier to distinguish the "two" boys by calling Kudo his given name when he was normal, and Conan when he was shrunken. It was all very hard to believe…

* * *

><p>Shiratori was still the slightest bit skeptic. He believed purely in rock-solid logic, and what the little girl told him had a hard time digesting itself in his brain. It had taken him three hours of convincing and a truckload of scientific proof for him to finally believe it might be true. <em>To think that we were all worried about the great Detective of the East… and he's been hiding under our noses all this time.<em> Shiratori thought wryly. _But haven't I always had this nagging instinct that Edogawa-san had something off about him? Something that didn't seem quite…right? Of course, I never really quite thought it through before…_

His eyes were unfocused as he stared at the glassy clock hanging desolately on the wall, ticking slowly as it counted off the seconds.

_5:30…_

_5:31…_

_5:32…_

Shiratori's feet were going numb; he'd been sitting still for so long. But even as the numbness spread up his legs, he didn't move. He was in too much shock.

* * *

><p>Takagi was frozen. His eyes were glazed over as he repeated scenes in his mind. Sato grinning cheekily at him as she accepted his date invitation, her sweet smile as she finished up lunch with him, and her pretty laugh as she and Yumi dragged Chiba away with them to carry their bags after they shopped. How Sato's perfect dark hair splayed over her shoulder as they caught the light and shone like luminous silk…<p>

Okay, so maybe Takagi's remembrance was a little biased. Fine, maybe a lot. But Takagi couldn't help it. _She's just so beautiful, and wonderful, and brave, and perfect…_ But Takagi knew the real reason his mind was wandering was to prevent him from dwelling upon the new chunk of information that coffee-haired girl had dumped on him. Before his mind could get too far though, Takagi found himself seeing Sato's captivating eyes as they sparkled and laughed.

But who was Takagi kidding? He'd have to get around to digesting the information _sometime_… He couldn't help wishing, though, that he'd accepted Yumi's invitation to be her personal baggage boy…

But then again… Takagi couldn't bring himself to stop thinking about Sato. He soon gave up trying to push her out of his mind, and blissfully replayed happy moments with Sato while Megure and Shiratori were shaking off their shock.

* * *

><p>"We're going to keep this group elite."<p>

The seven words shattered Takagi out of his reveries. Shiratori looked away from the clock as well, cocking his head as if his brain had trouble understanding the words.

Megure cleared his throat. "I said, we're going to keep this little group that knows about Kudo small."

"Ohhhh…" Shiratori nodded his head. "Got it." His brain was starting to function like normal again. Takagi, however, still looked dazed and confused.

Megure continued. "This information is obviously very important and very dangerous to know. Therefore, for two reasons I'm only going to choose a few close, trusted officers to protect Kudo- er, Conan-kun."

"Huh…?" Takagi still looked confused, his eyes still a tad unfocused.

Shiratori shook him, and snapped, "Get a grip Takagi. The first reason is obvious. It's to not endanger any more lives than necessary." He looked up at Megure. The inspector nodded, confirming that it was right.

"And the second," Megure cut in, his voice growing bleak, "is that I have to trust them. According to Ai-chan, the organization is dangerous, but most importantly, very covert. Members could be the person across the street from you, the baker… and I hate to say this…but it could be a fellow police officer as well."

Shiratori's eyes flashed with an unreadable emotion. To think that officers he had trusted and worked with for _years_ could be a part of that vile organization…was hard to think. But at least the logic in this was…reasonable.

Takagi looked blank for a second. Just as Shiratori was about to shake him again, his eyes momentarily focused. "Wait; go back to that safety thing for a second." He suddenly said.

Shiratori was about to slap him for not paying attention when Takagi continued. The genuine concern in his voice stopped him from leaving a bright, red welt across his cheek.

"Could we keep Sato out of this?"

The question itself was so unbelievable, so ridiculous in both Shiratori's and Megure's minds, that for a moment they just stood there, staring at him dumbly.

When Megure, opened his mouth to speak, Takagi quickly rushed on. "I mean, because she really is so bold and daring, and she might get seriously hurt. I don't want to risk that…" His voice trailed off.

Disapproval was written clearly over Megure's face. As if sensing his negative answer, Takagi moved in front of the doorway. It was like his instinct was to stop Megure from leaving until he was able to make some sort of deal.

"I mean I know she's a wonderful officer and she's brave. I think she's perfect, and I trust her with my own life! But her life could be in danger, and I really can't take that risk!" Takagi babbled, his eyes clouding again as he started to panic.

Megure was about to say something when something caught the corner of his eye. Instead, a small, wry smile settled on his mouth. Takagi caught a whiff of familiar perfume just as Megure spoke.

"Well, Takagi, what do you think Sato will say…now that's she's heard you?" Megure smirked.

Slowly, Takagi turned to find Sato standing in the doorway, one arm perched at her hip as a slightly annoyed expression crossed her face. Takagi inhaled the sweet scent of jasmine and a touch of vanilla… the familiar scent of Sato. His eyes cleared. Yumi and Chiba were nowhere to be seen.

"Takagi, Takagi, Takagi. We're not even dating and you're already trying to control my life." Sato sighed. "Tch. When will men ever learn?"

Takagi's face took on a color that could only be described as a blazing, bright cherry red. Sato cracked a smile and Shiratori snickered a bit behind his hand.

"But," she drawled, "I do appreciate the compliments, Takagi-_chan_." She leaned forward as if to kiss him on the cheek, but instead whispered in his ear.

"I appreciate your concern, but I can take care of myself Takagi. If you keep dangerous things to yourself, I don't feel like you trust me, or that I can trust you. And I want to trust you."

"Oooooooooo!" chorused Shiratori and Yumi (who seemed to appear from out of nowhere).

Sato pivoted to face Yumi, a childishly innocent expression plastered on her face. "Something wrong?"

Yumi laughed loudly, and finally managed to reply, "It's just that you're getting so bold lately. Asking Takagi out on a date, calling him –chan, even going as far to _kissing_ him!" She puckered her lips and made wet kissy noises. A shadow passed over Sato's delicate features, and only Takagi was able to read it.

_The reason's because…I get this terrible feeling I won't have forever to take my time…_

But then the moment passed and Sato's face relaxed into a smile, and Yumi grinned. Somehow, it seemed Yumi was able to lighten the tense atmosphere.

But Takagi still felt chilled to the bone. _A terrible feeling…..won't have forever…_

And although Sato's last whispered words warmed his heart, he still felt shivers down his spine.

_I won't have forever to take my time…_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Wherever the Black Organization is…<strong>_

Anokata slammed her fist down on the desk. Her fury was mounting ever since Gin...yes, it was Gin, had told her that her only loved one left had died. It had been so long ago, maybe 2 years, when Gin had solemnly told her that _she_ had died. Gin had always been icy cold towards everyone, so the genuine sorrow and emotion had been such a surprise. Her loved one had been important to the organization, and was killed when the slightest inkling of their organization slipped out into the human world.

Gin and Vodka had been there at her death. They were both very low ranking, and had barely earned their codenames. They'd buried her body right after the death, and supported Anokata in her grief. And finally, when she'd overcome her worst, they pointed her in the right direction. The _ordinary _humans would never accept them, and kill the members they met gladly. Even if they were the most innocent, like her last remaining kin…

"What's wrong with you?" she snarled into the intercom. "It's been three days! Why haven't you disposed of… that _garbage_ by now?"

Chianti's voice replied, "We're tryin' boss. But that garbage used to be one of our best assassins. His survival skills are top-notch even when's he's gone insane."

Her voice so low it was barely audible, she growled, "Get. It. Done. Within the next five days… or else. Oh, and Chianti? I want his body when you're done… if there still is one."

"Roger."

The intercom clicked off. Anokata leaned back into the soft cushions (black, of course) of her rolling chair. As it was getting late and everyone would be busy trying to dispose of Gin, so no one would bother her. She did some…unlocking… about her past.

The first few images flashed by her memory automatically, finally released. A strand of light brown hair, a pristine white flash of a coat. A voice whispering, "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine…"

She quickly shut those out. She wasn't quite ready for those remembrances yet, not about _her_. It was still too painful. Somewhere in her subconscious whispered a voice that told her to maybe think about…Gin.

_Hmph. It would be fitting anyway, won't it? To think of Gin as he dies. It's the closest thing he'll get to a funeral anyway. I certainly won't be wasting money on __**him**__ once he dies._

But somewhere back in her memory, there was a twinge of protest. The part of her that still relished the friendship they used to have, as equals.

* * *

><p><em><strong>*Flashbacks: <strong>_

_Her, Anokata, as a lower ranked member than Gin or Vodka. Of course, then they called her by her name, and codename as well. She had long cast away her codename for the title of "Anokata," but her given one still rung in her mind. Mostly because it connected Anokata to **her**__…_

I tucked a stray black hair behind my ear. My face was expressionless as I stared at the taller, silver haired man before me. Shadowed behind him was a broader shouldered man, maybe a little shorter than I was.

"You hiding behind your partner?" I didn't move, but I made it clear who I was addressing it towards.

The shorter man stepped out from behind the silver haired one. His sunglasses were polished till they looked almost oily, and his pitch black hat was pulled low. The man's face had a squared angle to it, unlike the taller man's long, angular face.

"Who you calling a coward, you-" snarled the sunglasses man.

"Shut up Vodka," the silver haired man cut in. He turned to me. "Gin." He stated.

The other man, Vodka, snorted. Grudgingly, he too said, "Vodka."

"I know, I'm not an idiot. I figured that out when he told you to shut up." I sassed.

He bared his teeth, as if that would scare me. I didn't move a centimeter. When your father and mother have already joined an evil organization and died, people's pearly whites, or in this man's case, yellowy whites, don't impress you. After all, I was joining this organization, and following in my dead parents' footsteps because I had to support my younger sister.

Gin's face relaxed into a ghost of a smile. "Welcome to the organization… Brandy**."

"Ne?"

"Your codename will be Brandy. These are special circumstances, as you are inheriting the work from your parents. You aren't a nameless runt, but you are still a low ranking. Don't get aloof with us."

"..."

Vodka flashed his teeth again. "Welcome to the org. The only way to leave us now is to die."

I inspected my fingernails, as if bored. Not showing a trace of emotion, I asked coldly, "That it?"

"Ooh, aniki-sama. Looks like we got a feisty one today." Vodka snickered.

"She's got a backlash, eh? Boss will have fun with this one." Gin drawled.

"Wait a minute." Vodka suddenly interjected. "What about the other one she brought with her?"

I stiffened slightly. "She's a scientist." I replied, a steel edge in my voice. "Remember?"

"She's too young to be a scientist," Vodka jibed, his voice dripping with malice. "Maybe these two aren't worth it. They might never amount to anything."

My mouth tightened, then relaxed into a hint of a smile… drenched in venom. "Who knows? Maybe we won't. But maybe we will… and then you'll have lost two valuable assets. And what's with those sunglasses of yours? You hiding something? What, your eyes are extremely disgusting or just very girly?" Two can play this game.

Vodka growled, his eyebrows drawing into a thunderous expression. Gin smirked.

"Besides," I added coolly, "my sister is pure genius in science. She'll be your top scientist when she gets old enough."

"Oh yeah!" Vodka smirked. "Your mother and father _did_ put that something like that down didn't they? Of course, before…" he trailed off ominously.

My eyes hardened and I scowled. My parents were in this cursed organization before I was born. They had died in an accident a couple years back. Of course, I had already inherited the lineage to this organization. And they had snatched _her_ too… The only reason I hadn't run for it before they could recruit me was because I needed to keep my younger sister safe. They had already caught up onto her genius for science and would never let her out of their clutches.

Therefore, I needed a way to ensure that I would stay in the organization. After all, I couldn't leave her all alone… And soon after I completed my first few missions, I found my skill. Thievery. Within a few months, I was a master. I steadily rose in ranks, and as did Gin and Vodka as they perfected their arts of killing. Or rather, Gin perfected his art, and Vodka merely sharpened his skills a bit. But soon, we were the same ranking, although _she _was a slightly higher rank than we were. And then came that day, that terrible day when she left this world forever…

_**End of Flashback**_

* * *

><p>Anokata winced slightly. She was not quite ready to relive that day yet. Besides, it was straying from the Gin, who she was supposed to be giving a "thought funeral" to. <em>But it was Gin who had told me my sister died nearly two years ago…and he helped me rise to through to ranks and defeat the old boss… all in exchange for becoming my right hand man. He trained me well after that death… gave me enough of his personality to make me smart enough to realize that I couldn't trust him no matter what. <em>

_For him, double-crossing him and stabbing him in the back was inevitable. He's just too... dangerous._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Agasa Residence<strong>_

"What? No way. Yes…uh huh… we'll be right there!"

Ai stared expressionless at Agasa. "…Well?"

Agasa's eyes were bright with giddy delight. He seemed to be choking with joy, if that was possible. For a few moments his mouth opened and closed soundlessly, and he finally was able to get something out.

"H-h-he's waking up! They're getting responses to the stimulus! T-the doctor's say it'll be in only thirty minutes!"

Ai's eyes widened, the ice in her eyes melting into a warm pool. "Really? Kudo's going to wake from his coma? That's …that's wonderful!" _Things may be alright after all…_ Haibara thought. _When Kudo-kun recovers we'll be able to take on the BO*** together like he always planned. He'll be so excited that he can finally regain his old life!_

Haibara didn't know if she had ever been so happy- even her memories of Akemi were tinged with shadows… and bitterly sweet. Somehow, she managed to form a coherent thought.

"Contact them." She ordered the hakase. "His parents, Mouri, her parents, that Osakan tantei and even his girlfriend if she wants to tag along. And maybe we should even call Megure-keibu and whichever officers he managed to recruit."

Agasa nodded, grabbed the phone and began to dial.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Twenty-five minutes later, at the Beika Hospital<strong>_

Everyone gathered nervously in the waiting room. Needless to say, Dr. Mikihiko had already become accustomed to the large crowd that always appeared to visit the elementary boy. Tension crackled in the air, tight with worry and reflected in everyone's eyes. In truth, they should've been relieved and jumping with joy, but too many things had gone wrong since this month started. They all couldn't bear to bring their hopes up until they were all sure it wouldn't be smashed into the rocks.

Finally, three minutes later, Dr. Mikihiko beckoned the waiting people to walk in to Conan's room. Seeing that everyone was eager to burst into the room, he held up his hand.

"I'm sorry," he said in a crisp, professional tone, "but there are too many of you. Three of you must stay behind."

Green, blue, violet eyes rotated as the silence threatened to overwhelm them. Finally, Kogoro sighed and said, "I'll stay. The kid-" his voice faltered, "was closer to all of you than he was to me. He sat with a heavy thump.

Ran reached out. "Oh, Dad…"

Eri sat down next to her husband. Her indigo eyes shone with a determined light. "Conan is a good child, but I have the feeling you all know him far more than I do. I'll wait here as well." She gave her daughter a reassuring smile.

* * *

><p>Only one more person to go.<p>

* * *

><p>The silence screamed. Another precious minute passed before Kazuha sighed as well. She smiled shakily, and said, "I think I know Conan-kun less than any of you, now that Eri-san and Kogoro-san mention it. Heiji—take good care of him." She sat opposite to Kogoro and Eri.<p>

The remaining group heaved a sigh. Heiji noted suddenly what Eri had said. _Somehow, that lady hit it right on the spot. Us remainin' people all know the truth about Kudo… And they don't._ She was a sharp woman indeed. He had no more time to think about it though, as he was ushered into the small room.

Conan looked paler than ever. His face seemed gaunter, his closed eyes shadowed as he slowly inhaled and exhaled. He looked as fragile as glass, hooked up to a machine and two drips. His childlike face was smooth, expressionless, devoid of the usual intense emotions Heiji was used to seeing. Agasa's heart gave a _pang_ as he saw Conan. The glasses that concealed his identity were set carefully on a bureau next to him along with the shattered watch, and the clothes he were wearing rested in the top drawer, freshly washed. His modified (and now broken) sneakers were tucked safely in the bottom drawer, along with his bloodred bowtie and elastic belt.

Ran's indigo eyes took in the absence of Conan's electric blue ones, how his hair was splayed across his face and just above his closed eyes. He looked so peaceful, so serene… so unlike Conan. So unlike Shinichi.

_Get a grip._ She thought brusquely. _He'll be awake soon. He'll be back to normal. We'll make sure of it!_

Haibara looked at the limp, sleeping form. Her eyes iced over again, the brief moment of euphoria drained away.

Yukiko clung to Yusaku. He held her tight, for comfort… for his or his wife he couldn't be sure. _Don't worry, _he longed to say. _Shinichi will be fine._ But he couldn't. Yusaku wasn't strong enough now to play the untouchable father, and he couldn't bear the thought of rising his wife's hopes if by some reason, by _any_ reason… something went wrong.

Dr. Mikihiko seemed to sense the environment. He looked uneasy, not at all used to the patient's visitors being so… off. He broke the silence.

"The boy, Edogawa Conan-" he didn't understand why the dark haired girl flinched, "he's in a stable condition. He's _been_ in a stable condition." He corrected himself.

His dark eyes flashed underneath his oval glasses. "It seems that from your reactions and actions as well that you would like this to be a private awakening from a coma. I'll leave you relatives and friends alone with him. However, please report his conditions in half an hour or let us check ourselves within the allotted period of time, as we like to make sure everything is functioning smoothly." He turned and left, his white doctor's coat flaring slightly as he exited. Polite words were exchanged outside, and then soon died down. No one entered the room and no one exited it.

Ran moved closer to the bed, and knelt next to it. She wanted to see him as he woke, take in his features as they came to life. Yusaku and Yukiko moved in as well. Yukiko held Conan's hand, whispering quietly in her head, _Shin-chan, it'll be alright. We're here for you. Shin-chan, it's alright…_

Heiji stood grimly at the foot of the bed. He twisted the brim of his cap nervously as his viridian eyes fixed onto the boy's still face. Agasa and Ai stood a little off to the side. After everyone had seen him and he had seen everyone, they needed to talk to him.

* * *

><p>And they waited.<p>

* * *

><p>Ran had a thousand thoughts running through her mind. What if this… what if that… the worry was white-hot in her mind, burning through her eyes in a feverish light. The two that lingered in her mind the longest was, <em>What if the doctor's wrong? What if he never…ever wakes up?<em> A single glittering tear ran down her cheek and dropped onto Conan's. Gently, Ran wiped it away.

It was as if the warmth of Ran's touch, such a familiar touch, stirred something inside of him. The green heart monitor line pulsed a little faster. They all held their breath in anticipation.

And then Conan opened his eyes; large, clear, and a bright cerulean blue.

Time held still. Yukiko's heart stopped. _Shin-chan…_ Conan struggled to sit up. Quickly, Ran and Yukiko propped his pillow up so he could lean against it.

Yusaku broke the silence. "Welcome back, son." He greeted warmly.

Voices suddenly erupted throughout the room. Heiji called out, grinning broadly; Ran smiled with joyous relief, and Yukiko's ringing voice echoed throughout the room.

"About time you woke up, Kudo!" Heiji cheered.

"Oh, Shin-chan, we were so worried… so worried! Don't make us feel that way again." Yukiko cried out.

"Ay, Shinichi, we'll need to have a talk about all of my gadgets. You nearly trashed them all!" Agasa joked lightly.

Even Ai joined in. "Hey, Kudo-kun. Ready to stop the organization once and for all?"

Conan's head swiveled his head as he looked at all the faces. The colors seemed to brightly contrast each other, different and vivid. Indigo eyes, dark hair, verdant green eyes, dark skin, auburn curls, ice blue eyes…

Ran took his smaller hand into hers. "Conan?" she whispered softly, searching his eyes. "No, not Conan… Shinichi?" Her eyes were hopeful. Suddenly the room was quiet, straining their ears to hear the young boy's response.

Conan's eyes once clear eyes clouded. He shook his head slightly, and his tiny frame trembled as he seemed to try and remember something.

"Shinichi?" Ran asked again, quieter this time.

Conan's slim hand slipped free of Ran's grasp. He looked at every person's face once, and responded in a thin, child's voice,

"I'm sorry… Who are you?"

Frozen. Eyes wide. Complete shock.

Their hopes and just been smashed into the rocks... once again.

* * *

><p>* Flashbacks will all (I think) be in the flasherbacker (my word =3) POV... In this case Anokata's<p>

** I dunno if Brandy has been used as a codename yet BUT IT HAS NOW o.O

*** Black Organization

~~Nyeh nyeh nyeh~~

Wasn't expecting that one were you? Sudden amnesia! You shouldn't be surprised though... what good is a story if the main character isn't going through all these dramas? As the author, I gotta throw enough challenges and stuff at Conan and make it sound believable...

What's Ai gonna do? Her silver bullet went from coma and silent to awake but lost... which is worse... And what's Ran gonna do? :O And what about Yukiko and Yusaku?

DDX I know, I know, I'm sorry that this story didn't get much farther... not much time passed... But I wanted to leave you with that amnesia cliffie and I had some explaining to do about Gin and Anokata and all that shizz... Plus there was enough space to add the police reactions...

Don't kill me! TT^TT Or you'll never see the next chapter and you'll never know what happened in the end! :o

You know what? Actually yes you do... but I refuse to _start writing the next chapter until I get at least 5 reviews! (My childish side... -.-)_

'Till next time!

~~~Ciao! =)


	9. The Strike of Silver

**A/N:** Ha! My record of pages: 25! :D And this time it didn't take as long :o (I think only two and a half weeks) and that's only coz I was hit with a no Internet ban for two weeks. One the bright side, I finally have my Internet back, and it gave me plenty of time to write this chapter! :)

25 whole pages... well, I _did_ have to fit a lot into this chapter... Thanks so much for the reviews!

**C/A:** Um yeah. Gin very casually curses somewhere in this chapter.

**C/H:** I guess. Lol, be prepared! ;)

Not much more to say... so enjoy!

-Icie911

* * *

><p>Ran's eyes clouded over as she listened to the doctor ramble. Kogoro looked weary but Eri, Yukiko, Yusaku, and the hakase listened intently. Haibara (<em>Shiho,<em> Ran kept correcting herself), had gone home to watch over the house and see if she could work on anything. Hattori had to leave, regretfully looking back at Conan, lost in amnesia. There was a sudden case that had sent the police officers racing off, and Hattori had gotten a call… since he _was_ the Great Detective of the West. He brought Kazuha along with him as well, so he could get her familiar with the police in case anything happened and find a safe place for her to say. However, for once in his entire life, Hattori didn't feel a single bit of joy at rushing off to solve a case. Conan couldn't even remember his name, let alone his deduction skills. Even worse, he was in Tokyo, _his_ territory. Not Hattori's, but Conan's. This time, the meitantei couldn't tag along with him, couldn't solve the case with a sweep of his piercing blue eyes.

_And speaking about his eyes…_ Ran thought sadly, _they aren't Shinichi's anymore. Not even the Conan I used to know…_ Without his maturity, his _personality_, the usually brilliant blue eyes were slightly clouded, and softened around the edges. They were large and innocent, the genius of the tantei smoothed over. Although Conan and been a child before, his eyes, his being, were truly ones of a child now.

Ran felt someone gently shaking her shoulder, and looked to see her mother staring worriedly at her. Ran felt tired, exhausted. She had been put through so much, from seeing Conan dying in front of her to his sudden coma to learning his true identity and shadowed past. And now this… it seemed too cruel. Too cruel… just two months ago she was a normal high schooler, albeit waiting impatiently for Shinichi to return. And suddenly an invisible hand had just shoved her through to _this_ world, full of lies and peril and darkness.

But mostly, under all of that, she felt guilty. Immensely, immensely, guilty. The small worry that Conan's well being was her fault had already faded to a mere pinprick, this shame was brought on by the fact that she was already breaking. It had barely been a month and she was already cracking, falling apart under the pressure. If she thought _this_ was unfair, living like this, how would Conan have felt? Enduring the life of a seven year old while striving to rub out this syndicate, and at the same time protect everyone. Not to mention the fact he had to keep his identity a secret, _and_ help her father rise to the top. It must have frustrated him a lot, Ran thought, to have her otou-san take all the credit, and not to mention be a jerk at some times. Ran knew this was all partly his fault, but she couldn't blame him for it. Chasing after justice is what Shinichi's love was, to stop it at any sign of danger would be to imprison a free, soaring bird. Killing his freedom was equal to killing his soul. And she felt extremely guilty that she couldn't even last a month, even with the support of her family and friends…

And, she was a terrible actress right now and she knew it. Ran could feel every emotion revealed through her indigo eyes, every doubt written across her face, every expression betraying her inner turmoil. Eri could see all of it in one glance.

"Ran, honey, maybe you should rest." Eri soothed, her voice gentle. "We can discuss this later."

_Discuss… talk… later? Conan…? His… condition…? Amnesia…_ Ran's thoughts were moving slowly, like syrupy molasses dribbling off a jar. Suddenly, a thought like a flash of lightning struck her mind. She hadn't listened at all to the doctor. She heard him say Conan had amnesia, but an idiot could figure that out.

"Wait-" Ran's throat was dry, her voice whispery like the wind. She cleared her throat, swallowed with some difficulty, and coughed. "Wait—what's Conan's condition? I mean, what type of amnesia does he have?"

She could see the pitying looks the doctor and her father sent her, as if she had been too traumatized to hear anything he said. Okay, well, maybe that was true, but suddenly Ran resented the looks with so much fury she surprised herself. The fiery light must have reflected in her eyes, for Ran saw Eri smile faintly and Kogoro raise his eyebrows in slight surprise that his strong daughter had returned. However, a few minutes passed with the doctor still shuffling his papers, as if preoccupied and too busy to address anyone.

Ran realized with sudden rage that the stout doctor had completely forgotten about her question. His pudgy round face was rosy and his head was balding; wisps of gray-silver hair attempted to cover his head. The doctor's hands were smallish and his fingers slightly resembled sausages. Tiny rectangular glasses perched precariously on his squared nose, flashing occasionally if the light hit them at the right angle. His eyes were a dull pebble gray, and he squinted fairly often. Feeling her anger build up, Ran felt a twinge of satisfaction as she noted a little bit of her old self starting to poke through.

"**Did. You. Hear. Me**?" Ran asked, her voice dangerously quiet. Her voice was edged with spikes and poison, all directed at the doctor- Dr. Faro (which was printed on his name tag in small, slanted handwriting).

Eri and Kogoro shared an amused look. Under different circumstances, they would have stopped Ran, but both agreed it would be good for Ran to release some pent up emotion. Eri was a bit offended as well at the doctor's rudeness, but Kogoro had seen this anger directed at him so many times it simply filled him with childish joy to see someone else suffer under the wrath of Ran's fury.

Agasa, unused to seeing Ran's anger in person, looked a little confused. However, just by judging the circumstances, he knew the doctor was in for a bumpy ride. And, well, maybe he wouldn't mind seeing it. After all, this greasy looking Dr. Faro was the one who nearly screwed up Conan's immediate treatment, not hooking him up to the vital drips and the heart monitor. *

The doctor looked up, squinting at Ran as if trying to analyze her. Ran hated this doctor more and more vehemently as each second passed. Finally, Dr. Faro spoke.

"I'm sorry, what?" he simpered, his voice scratchy and wheedling. "Did you need something, girl?"

That was it. Ran's eyes blazed and she took a deep breath. Kogoro instinctively crouched protectively, as if Ran were about to smash him to bits. Her face was tensed and her body stiff, ready to spring into action.

"**WHEN I TALK, YOU HAD BETTER LISTEN TO ME!**" She roared furiously, her foot snapping suddenly. A mere second later, the table was splintered into bits where her deadly roundhouse kick had landed. She leapt onto the table, landing softly like a cat. Or more like a tiger. The doctor looked confused, as if summing up the chance that the frail looking teen had just smashed his desk.

Too late.

To Ran, Dr. Faro was still ignoring her. Before he had the chance to make out what was happening, Ran lifted her fist high into the air and brought it down with all her force, pummeling her clenched fist down onto Dr. Faro's 'precious' research papers, shredding the majority of them in the process. Also her fist landed approximately three inches from his face.

Only seconds later, the smoke and debris cleared, and there crouched a very pissed off Ran, staring directly into a stunned and frightened face of Dr. Faro. Being so close to his greasy face would have made Ran sick if not for the cold fist of anger he had brought upon himself. Her fist still smoking from the impact, she flashed her teeth in more of a snarl than a smile.

"Do. You. Understand?" she asked, her voice sharper than a knife.

Dr. Faro, staring at the mess this single girl had made of his office and seeing the dangerous look on her face, gulped and nodded.

"So." Ran commented, as she nimbly jumped back off the table. Brushing some wood splinters off her chair, she sat as if everything were completely normal, as if she hadn't just annihilated Dr. Faro's desk. Dr. Faro looked shaken, Ran's display of karate frightening him just as Ran meant for it to. After giving him three minutes to calm his jumping nerves he managed to mumble something.

"A-an-and t-t-that desk w-was m-ma-mahogany t-t-too…" he mumbled quietly, his teeth involuntarily chattering with shock.

"What's that?" Ran asked, her voice cool.

By now Dr. Faro had pretty much realized that with this girl, even the most innocent questions can provoke sudden anger. And he had enough of her anger to last him for about…fifty years. Plus, it didn't help that the silver haired professor and the couple that spawned that child looked immensely amused, their lips pursed as if trying not to smile or laugh. But he could see it. He could see their laughter in their eyes and the glow of their faces. He fumed silently, but then suddenly realized if he stayed to quiet his beautiful rolling chair may not survive the day either. For that matter, maybe even he wouldn't.

"N-n-no-nothing…" he stuttered out, suddenly swept by fear at the guarded, intense indigo gaze the girl fixed him with.

"So." Ran repeated, settling into her chair. Pleasantly, she asked, "What type of amnesia does Conan have again? I was preoccupied when you mentioned it."

Dr. Faro shuddered as he felt icy daggers swing toward him, locking their target into his wide face (which, btw, would make an ideal target). Her teeth smiled but her eyes were icy and he could_ feel_ that she had no patience at all. He had a quick flash thought: this is what a tigress must be like- beautiful (for the girl really was quite pretty with her tumbling dark hair, bright violet eyes, and slight smile) yet hiding a fierce strength, and once it was displayed you could never look at them quite the same way as before. Suddenly, every feature seemed sharper and it seemed like danger could be triggered with a mere slip–up, a simple mistake.

And speaking of mistakes, the girl's patience seemed to be starting to wear thin again. Dr. Faro may be a greasy good-for nothing but he wasn't a complete idiot. He wasn't going to make the same mistake again.

Clearing his throat, Dr. Faro answered Ran.

"The boy, Edogawa Conan, has been diagnosed with retrograde amnesia."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Crime scene where Hattori and the Beika Police are at…<strong>_

Heiji fingered the brim of his hat, his leaf-green eyes flashing confidently. Inspector Megure noticed Heiji's expression, and whispered in his ear. The Osakan teen's eyes flashed back and forth as he whispered back, explaining his deduction to the inspector. Megure's head bobbed up and down as he listened to Heiji's impeccable deduction. Hattori's cocky air and quick deduction reminded Megure of Shinichi. And although he had paid no attention to the child, if he thought carefully, Conan was like that as well. Speaking of Conan-

"Oi, Hattori." Megure said, his voice quiet.

"Ne?" Hattori responded absentmindedly. He was turning over the evidence in his mind, checking that they were rock-solid.

"How's Conan doing? Er, I mean Shinichi."

Heiji's attention snapped back to the present, his eyes darkening to a forest green. His face muscles tensed as he turned his hat back forward. He had solved the case, but his usually emerald eyes were shadowed by the cap's brim.

"That well, huh?" Megure said grimly.

A quick nod was all that he received, along with a promise that the Osakan detective would explain later. But for now, Hattori Heiji, The Great Detective of the West, had a case to draw close and a murderer to arrest. Let the deduction show begin!

* * *

><p><em><strong>Agasa Residence<strong>_

Haibara muttered some swears under her breath as she sat onto the couch. She knew Edogawa's feeble life was held only by the thinnest string, and it could snap any moment. The Black Org. was out and loose, ready to strike from the shadows. And Haibara knew from her time as Sherry that there could only be one reason the Anokata hadn't sent Chianti or Korn on someone to kill Conan- because they must be preoccupied with someone else. And most of the time it was someone more important they had to kill, which usually meant a high ranking member was to be assassinated. Haibara knew this was very, very rare as the high rankings were all sharp and knew better than to try and escape. It was a stroke of pure luck…but no matter the person, they never lasted more than a week. They were chased until their finely honed skills started to unravel, and most started to go delusional, trying to escape and survive 24/7. Back in the organization, it was a good thing- if anyone escaped the whole organization could collapse. Living people caused trouble. Dead people didn't.

After all, dead people can't talk.

And Haibara knew that because of all this, Conan had a chance. She was riding on the hopes that when he awoke, they would gain the police as an ally and be able to overcome the organization. They could think of details on the way, mapping out strategies and such.

And it didn't seem like such an impossible dream 24 hours ago.

But with this sudden amnesia attack, it seems the tide had turned in the organization's favor once again. It always did. They always won… But Haibara couldn't afford to think like that.

She also knew the chances that Conan would regain his memories in such a short amount of time and be ready for action were slim. Some cases have occurred that the victim of amnesia never regains his/her memory, although the stories all ended with the patient starting a fresh life, usually recovering better the younger they were.

She pushed off the sofa, walking towards her lab. If she couldn't help Kudo right now, she'd have to push her genius to the limit to work something out. As she walked though, thinking about the headlines of a young girl who had been able to start a brand new life, she had a feeling of dread build in her stomach. Conan may be eight soon, but the Shinichi inside of him was a teenager. And no matter what, if he didn't recover from his amnesia, there would be no chance for him to restart. No, there would be none of that.

An icy fist of sorrow clenched Haibara Ai's stomach.

If Edogawa Conan didn't regain his memories, and soon-

He'd be dead.

* * *

><p><em><strong>May 4th (Two days later)<strong>_

Anokata was angry. Last night they had been so close to killing Gin. But he had somehow evaded, using some scrap of energy to flee once again. It seemed that although his intelligence and sanity had deserted him, he still clung onto his survival skills. And his survival skills were the best out of all of the higher rankings; Kir, Chianti, Korn, Vodka, Bourbon, etc… and even Vermouth. She clenched her fists in danger. One more day. 24 more hours until the deadline she gave her assassination group expires. And only 24 hours until Gin became the first organization member to last more than a week. She refused to let it happen.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The park outside the Beika Hospital<strong>_

Ran sighed in despair, her hand holding tightly to Conan's smaller, slight one. Conan Edogawa had truly become a child. He remembered the basic functions of life, but not a shred of his past. Not Ran, not his parents, not his friends, no one. She could see him trying hard to remember, especially when she asked him to.

His eyes would focus as his brow drew together, and for a few intense moments he would strain to remember anything. And after those moments he'd clutch his head and shake it vehemently as he battled against his amnesia. But so far, he had never won.

Conan felt Ran's grip tighten. He felt warm, tingling, safe. But he didn't know why. He couldn't remember anything. Not the two people who said they were his parents, not the dark detective Heiji-niichan, not the hakase, not Ran-neechan. And he was confused. He knew he was seven, almost eight. But he remembered the coffee-haired girl- Ai, saying something else. He was also Kudo Shinichi, a seventeen year old. How could he be seven and seventeen and two different people? Ran's grip tightened a little more.

"Ran-neechan, is there anything wrong?" Conan asked. "Because if there isn't can you let go a bit? I think you're crushing my hand…"

Ran started in surprise, and loosened her grip. She smiled at Conan, who grinned back at her. She felt a sad pang as she missed the secretive half smiles she usually saw on Conan's face, but mostly on Shinichi's.

"Conan-chan, I'm going to introduce you to some of your Teitan Elementary schoolmates. Do you remember their names? Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko."

Conan tapped his lip thoughtfully for a few seconds, and then replied, "No, I don't think I've ever met them before." Seeing the expression on Ran's face he worriedly said, "I'm sorry… did I do something wrong, Ran-neechan?"

"No, no…" Ran said quickly. "Nothing wrong. Well, maybe meeting them will trigger some memories…" But there was no hope behind these words anymore, which she repeated time and time again…

Conan squeezed her hand reassuringly. His small face was bright as he promised, "Don't worry Ran-neechan. Conan will do his best!"

It absolutely broke Ran's heart.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Three hours later…<strong>_

"Man, can you believe it?" Genta asked, his legs swinging against the car chair. A gray seatbelt stretched over his front side. He and Mitsuhiko had the window seats and Ayumi sat in the middle. They were carpooling away from the hospital. "I mean, seriously, how could Conan forget _us_?"

Ayumi looked troubled. "I don't know…" she said softly. "I'm really worried for Conan-chan though. Ran-neechan looked kind of sad and worried too…"

Mitsuhiko said, "Well, I'm sure he'll recover soon. No worries, Ayumi!" he tried to cheer her up.

"I don't know…" Ayumi thought hard. "I just had this… really bad feeling. Like Conan was in danger."

Genta tried not to scoff. Struggling to keep his voice light, he asked, "Well, how do you know?"

Ayumi just frowned. "Woman's intuition."

Mitsuhiko and Genta sweat-dropped. "Ah… I see…" they muttered in unison. But the dark mood in the air couldn't help but catch on.

The rest of the car ride was in silence. Each one was preoccupied in their own thoughts.

* * *

><p><em><strong>To Gin!<strong>_

Hiding in another dark alley, Gin grimaced in a sort of disgust. It was always dark alleys. He couldn't hide anywhere else. He knew his time was drawing near, and it disgusted him that he'd die in filth and as a useless assassin. Growling, he vehemently shook his long silver hair out of the cap. To disguise himself, he had to tuck away his conspicuous long silver locks into a baseball cap. He wore shades, and more of a civilian's clothing. However, from the various encounters with the Black Organization his clothing was already in tatters. Knife slashes and pocketmarks from bullets and sparks were spread all over the faded blue and green clothes.

How he hated that stupid child, that idiotic tantei. He was the cause of all his troubles. Gin would be dead soon, but there was one thing he wanted to do more than anything else before he died. Gin drew a knife from his sleeve, a dull silver color but strong and sharp. Inspecting it, he quickly tucked it back in. He pulled out the shotgun tucked in front of his heart, and made sure the safety was off so he could shoot in a second if he needed to. It was fully loaded. Putting it back in, he suddenly remembered something. Some amateur murderer, Hosokawa or something, had hospitalized the meitantei. Hospital… which hospital? Suddenly Gin grinned ghoulishly. He made a new goal, one last goal. A goal to achieve before he died.

He was going to kill Edogawa Conan.

He was going to finish what he started that night in Tropical Land with Kudo Shinichi.

If he could only just find out where that brat was being held. Tokyo was a big place, and there were quite a few hospitals. He knew it was useless to barge in every single one just to find mini-Kudo. And surely the news would spread fast, about a man bursting into hospitals everywhere to find a person. Gin would die before he even laid eyes on the stupid child. No, he was going to have to be careful. He needed a surefire way to know which hospital Edogawa was in.

Judging by the darkening sky, it was around six thirty. Gin's eyes lit with cold fire one last time, this hunt bearing the last prize he would ever gain. He was ready. Not single shadow of doubt crossed his mind.

_The night is still young,_ he thought devilishly. _Let the hunt begin._

It never once crossed his mind that maybe; just maybe...

Conan wouldn't be in the hospital anymore.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Mouri's Car<strong>_

Ran looked worriedly at Conan's sleeping form. She really wished she was a better actress- although she had pretty much guessed that Conan wouldn't remember Ayumi and the others, there was still a disappointment. A last, flickering flame of hope snuffed out. She assumed that Conan had seen it and felt sad as well, since these days he seemed to try and mimic what Ran felt, as if it were too hard to think of any feelings himself. Ran, thinking that Conan had decided to take a nap, left him alone in his room while she went out to buy some food and cook. At around six she was going to go in and wake Conan up, only to find him writhing in pain on the ground, clutching his head.

The doctor had warned Ran and Kogoro about this. If Conan tried too hard to remember something, yet his brain was still incapable of remembering, he might have a breakdown. His brain would shut down to simple functions and he would most likely experience painful headaches. Ran had immediately dragged her father to the car and carried Conan carefully down. It scared her how fragile and light he was, so easy to carry.

After about five minutes of soothing, Conan had fallen asleep… But he was sweating and Ran was thinking he might have caught a fever. As Ran saw the hospital building draw near, she desperately hoped that Conan would be okay, that everything might just turn out. But as time wore on, even Ran's usual sunny optimism had taken a spin for the worse.

Inside the hospital, Haibara was waiting for them. Three police officers and the inspector flanked her, and she started explaining almost immediately.

"We notified the doctors already, they're ready right now to take Conan in and examine him." At this, Kogoro was sent off the bring Conan to the doctors, Ran sending him racing. "No matter what, concerning his conditions lately they've decided he has to spend the night." Haibara continued, directing her dialogue toward Ran. She lowered her voice a bit, "However, I have a bad feeling that the organization is just about ready to strike. They won't be expecting him to stay in the same hospital though, since I know better, and also they wouldn't expect him to still be hospitalized because of Hosokawa's attack. However, just in case, we have some police protection." Ai gestured at the four police.

Ran nodded numbly. Kogoro huffed as he ran back, and managed to get out what room number Conan would be staying in, and that he would be fine.

"They," Kogoro coughed, "sedated him- to keep him- calm." He took a deep breath. "He'll wake up- in about- an hour." He sat down on the chair, breathing hard. "You guys-" he waved his hand, "go on. I don't think- you guys - need me anymore. Make sure- the kid's alright- okay? I'll go home- once I get my breath- back." They nodded and set off towards the room.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Ten minutes later, give or take. Time: 6:45<strong>_

Ran sat down on the couch across from Conan's thin hospital bed. Haibara was sitting on a chair in front of the coffee table, her laptop out and flashing. A blue light washed over her face as she typed furiously. Research, Ran guessed. The pale cream curtains rustled slightly in the wind. Ran remembered with a sudden start that today was Shinichi's birthday. Things didn't seem to be going well for him…

Ran remembered his birthday a year ago. They had been stuck, together with a handful of other people in a tall building. She was there to celebrate the night before his birthday, but a deranged architect had set a bomb in the building. It was up to them two to disable the bomb, yet somehow the architect had managed to trick them. Every direction, every wire to snip, was there. Except the last. Two last wires, red and blue, were remaining as the clock ticked on. Time was running out… and it was past midnight. _I almost forgot… Happy Birthday… Shinichi._ She remembered saying. _I just wanted to tell you… in case I never get another chance._

And he had told her to cut a wire, any wire she pleased. _We're dead if you don't do anything anyway. So just choose one! Any wire you please._ And they had survived.

Lost in memories, Ran gazed at the still form of the young boy. How could everything just be thrown away like that, with just a wave of amnesia? Everything they'd been through together in the short years of their lives. Her indigo blue eyes sad, Ran continued to replay memories as the hour slowly ticked away…

* * *

><p>Haibara clenched her fists. Due to her calculations, tomorrow would be the last day. It would have been a week since the news came out, since the organization must have been set out to kill somebody. With any luck, the person would last until tomorrow. But most likely he or she would die today, or had already been killed. Which meant only one thing. Time was up for a certain Edogawa Conan.<p>

She never imagined that the person to be assassinated might be Gin. And she never imagined that Conan staying in the hospital overnight had just been one more stroke of luck in the organization's favor.

Ran was giving her a strange look. Haibara nodded at her coolly, her eyes saying, _I'm okay. No need to worry._ But maybe if Ran paid a little more attention, if she were a little bit more skilled at reading body language, she would've noticed that Haibara had clenched her fists so hard her nails left red marks, that her jaw was tense and her body stiff. And maybe she would have read that 'Ai-chan,' or rather, 'Shiho-san,' was keeping in a lot of worry. That she wasn't telling Ran the full extent of Conan's danger. Otherwise, why would she be so worried about a simple headache?

But perhaps it was best that Ran simply turned away, that she didn't push any further. Haibara wanted to keep the thoughts away from the already unraveling teen girl, and simply lock herself away. Her face muscles tensed and her eyes trembled with uncharacteristic anger. It wasn't fair! They were so close. They had gotten so far, just to have everything fall apart now. Why? Why did things always end up like this? It just wasn't fair!

As the last ten minutes ticked away, Haibara abandoned her laptop. She saved, and shut down, watching the pulsing blue light slowly fade to black. She drew her knees up to her chin, and hugged them to her chest. Ai relaxed against the back of the couch and tilted her head toward the windows, staring at the night sky. She imagined, briefly, that one of the twinkling stars might be Akemi. Her beautiful, warm, sister. _She could be a star…_Haibara thought absentmindedly. _She was so pure… she sparkled in every way._ She liked the idea of her sister becoming a star in the sky, pushing aside logic at the moment, not to mention her knowledge of space.

_Akemi._ She thought sadly, choosing the brightest star in the sky and addressing it silently. _Akemi-neechan…_ _Is it nice up there?_ She tilted her head toward the velvet dark and shimmering stars. _Is it better? Are you free now? _An immense feeling of loneliness hit her, settling over her like a familiar blanket. _Do you… miss me?_

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Conan stir a little. But she kept her blue gaze directed at the star, focusing on it and it alone. _Nee-chan… do you think I'll be able to be with you? Do you think…maybe…that I could go up there and see you again? Things might not work out anymore. I didn't want to think like this…but I think that there really might not be a chance. You understand though, don't you nee-chan? We tried our best…_ For those simple moments, Haibara felt her ice-cold demeanor, her iron shell of protection melt away, and she felt like she was nine again. Raw and exposed. She gazed longingly at the stars. What would it be like to see her precious Akemi again? To be with her for all of eternity…?

Ran suddenly stood up and rushed to Conan's side. Haibara snapped out of it. She felt her cold shell and her icy calm attitude return. She slowly stood up, her muscles stiff. She stretched a bit, and walking slowly towards the thin white hospital bed, she felt all the doubts and worries swing back, heavier than before.

"Ran-neechan?" Conan asked sleepily, confused. "What am I doing here?"

Brushing back a stray strand of his hair, Ran replied gently, "You had a little headache and the nice doctors decided to let you stay the night."

"Okay." Conan nodded.

Ran ducked her head, her hair falling across her face and hiding the drops of tears that were forming around her eyes. It had already been pretty much three days, but Ran still couldn't get used to the way Conan was really like a little kid. Haibara was standing stiffly next to the bed, pretending that she didn't see Ran's tears. Megure poked his head inside.

"Um, hey." He greeted awkwardly. "Uh, it's been pretty much seven thirty now, so it's been an hour since Conan was sedated. He awake?"

Conan replied in a thin, child's voice, "I'm here Megure-sama."

Megure looked a bit flustered to see Conan. "Oh, um, hi. Nice to see you… uh, awake." Turning his head as to address Ran and Ai, he gruffly reported, "Nothing much is happening. We panned out and are searching, but since they're only four of us, we communicate by radio and can't be a very thick protection."

Haibara nodded as Megure continued. "So we're thinly spread out, and I'll be the one posted near this room. Sato is near the elevators, Takagi is down near the other wing on this floor, and Shiratori is pacing around the rest area, near the vending machines. They're kind of spread out, but it's the best we can do right now." And with that, he disappeared, closing the door quietly behind him.

Ran's throat suddenly felt dry as a feeling of anxiety rushed over her. She felt a cold dread gather inside of her. She tried to shake off the feeling, but it returned, stronger than before. It swirled around her, thick and dark as night. Suddenly, feeling chilly, she wrapped her arms around herself. _Its fine, _she reassured herself. _Inspector-sama_, _Takagi, Shiratori, and Sato are all out there. Besides, what can happen to Conan here? There are so many people…surely the organization can't sneak into here without __**someone**__ noticing…_ But she still found it hard to swallow, and engulfed by a terrible premonition, just like that night a year ago.

In the pocket of her jeans, Ran found some change. Holding the bright coins in her hand, she decided to walk over to the vending machines and buy a juice or something.

"Hey, Shiho-san-"

And about that. Haibara kind of found it annoying that Ran used her old name so easily. She had gotten used to the name Haibara Ai. She decided right then that no one would use her old name, Shiho Miyano, except Akemi. And since Akemi was gone, she decided to discard the name. But it would always be somewhere in the back of her mind, linked solely to her memories of her beloved nee-chan.

"Mouri-san." Haibara interrupted, putting her hand up. Ran looked confused. "First of all, I don't really want you calling me Shiho. For pretty much a year, I've gotten used to the name Haibara Ai, and I kind of like it. Even if we manage to destroy the BO, I think I'll start going by my new name instead. So please don't call me Shiho-san anymore, okay?"

Ran looked surprised. "Oh, okay then Shih- I mean Haibara-san. Do you mind if I call you Ai?"

Haibara shook her head. She wasn't as used to it as 'Haibara,' because not many people called her 'Ai.' But before this, Ran had always called her 'Ai-chan' anyway, so…

Ran suddenly continued, as if a thought had struck her. "But, it's on one condition." Now it was Haibara's turn to look confused. "You have to stop calling me Mouri-san, okay? From now on it's Ran, or Ran-san or something."

Haibara raised her eyebrows but couldn't hold back a smile. They shared a warm smile for a few moments, until the sudden resemblance between Ran and Akemi overwhelmed Ai. She broke away and spoke to Conan.

"No worries, Conan. You're safe here."

Conan's brow wrinkled. "I wasn't safe? Why? Are bad guys trying to hurt me?"

Ran realized the awkward tension and quickly replied, "Like Haibara said, there's nothing to worry about? Okay?"

Conan nodded. "Okay!" he agreed happily.

Changing the subject, Ran asked, "Conan, are you thirsty? I could buy you a juice or a soda."

Thinking deeply for a while, Conan finally answered, "I think I'd like an apple juice in a box. Oh, and with a bendy straw too!" he added.

Ran blinked three times and nodded. Smiling at Haibara and Conan one last time, Ran left the room to get some drinks. As the door swung shut, both "children" could hear muffled talking as Ran explained to Megure where she was going.

"Ran-neechan's gonna be alright, right?" Conan asked, his eyes wide. "The bad guys won't hurt her, right?"

For the first time, Haibara felt the wrenching pain Ran did whenever Conan acted so innocent, so much like a little child. For the first time, she missed the Kudo part of the meitantei. _Imagine that…_ she thought wryly. _Whenever he's around, he can be so annoying. All chasing after the truth and such. You'd think by now I'd have learned to appreciate who I have before they're gone._

To Conan, she simply reassured, "Ran-neechan will be fine. Remember? Shiratori is near the vending machines. He'll take care of her."

"Okay!" Conan said happily once again. Haibara hadn't made much contact with the Conan after his amnesia, deciding instead to lock herself into the lab and try to research her worries away. Today, she finally realized what Ran had to go through, the agonizingly slow days with a young child shadowed by what he used to be. She clenched her teeth. And even through three straight days of work, she hadn't managed to make much progress.

She glanced at the smooth blue pills she had brought with her in a small, compact case. They would only help an amnesia victim regain their memories, albeit slowly, if they received a strong shock from their past. And it seemed like not even Kudo's love was enough to make him remember. Haibara couldn't think of anything stronger than the former Shinichi's affection toward Ran.

"Wait here, Conan-kun." She ordered Conan. Looking baffled, he obeyed, sitting patiently with the thin sheets drawn around him. She returned half a minute later, carrying the case of pills.

"What's that?" Conan asked, straining to see what Haibara was holding.

Haibara knew that explaining what they really were would be too time consuming and confusing for Conan's now primitive mind. He was already confused enough as it is with his hidden identity and the huge danger of the Black Org. She wanted to see if maybe, just maybe, her pill would work without needing some strong mental shock. So instead of the truth, she told a harmless white lie.

"Edoga- I mean, Conan-kun. Remember the hakase? Prof. Agasa?"

Conan's eyes lit in remembrance. "Yeah, that chubby old man who said he was a scientist?" Haibara had to stifle a snort at Conan's description. She could see the hakase's childishly hurt expression already.

"Yes, him. Well, he thought you were being exceptionally well, trying to remember everything, and he decided to give you some candy."

Conan's bright blue eyes sparkled. "I like candy!"

"Yes, so here it is!" Haibara produced the pills with flourish, their smooth blue surfaces shimmering under the soft glow of the table lamp.

Conan's eyes widened. The pills were rounded and somewhat flat. There were two, both about half the size of a penny.

"Whoa…" he breathed. "They look cool! Do they do anything special? Like all the cool toys Agasa-san made for me?" Haibara winced slightly. The hakase's gadgets were most definitely _not_ toys.

"Um…yeah!" Haibara thought fast. "These pills should do something very interesting. You'll just have to wait and see what happens!" _That wasn't totally a lie… They are supposed to help regain his memories… sort of…_

Conan was about to take the 'candies' and put them in his mouth when Haibara stopped him. "One more thing, Conan. You can't chew on them; they have to be able to work. You have to swallow them, preferably with water." She gestured toward the glass of water on the small bureau.

Conan looked at the blue pills. "But don't you only have to do that with medicine?" he complained.

Haibara kept forgetting that although he lost his memory he still wasn't a complete child. He had the brain of about an eight year old, after all.

"Um, yes, usually. But these are special pil- candies, remember? Agasa-san made them and to let them work you have to swallow them whole."

"O—kay…" Conan said doubtfully. But he dutifully swallowed the pills with two gulps of water. He licked his lips. "Hey." He said, surprised. "They actually leave a sweet taste in my mouth. Like… sugar."

Haibara was glad that Kudo had complained the first time he tried her antidotes about the bitter taste. Back then she had found it annoying that he seemed so picky, but from then on, she had always added some harmless sweetener into his pills. Force of habit made her do it this time as well, and it made a handy supporting factor.

"Yes, well, they _are_ candies after all." Haibara said mildly. _Nothing to do but wait now. The pills will only be active for about six hours…_

And speaking of time, where was Ran? She'd been gone for nearly ten minutes. Surely it shouldn't take _that_ long just to get two juices from a vending machine on this floor. _The vending machine probably got stuck or maybe she's just talking with Shiratori-san._ Haibara dismissed.

* * *

><p>It was true. Just down two hallways, Ran was glaring at the vending machine. The two juices had somehow managed to get stuck just as they were about to fall down the slot. They were sort of mashed together, the cardboard boxes crinkling a bit near the edges. Shiratori was ramming his shoulder on the vending machine, attempting to knock the drinks free. Finally, they teetered and fell.<p>

"Yes!" Ran cheered. "Finally! Thanks, Shiratori-san."

Shiratori wiped his brow. "No problem. Those juices sure put up a fight though." He smiled.

They never noticed the man with a faded cap and tattered clothing slink by.

* * *

><p>Haibara looked at the clock and sighed. It'd been fifteen minutes already. It was about time for Ran to-<p>

There was a loud thumping noise outside, and a cry of pain. Haibara was instantly on guard.

"What's that?" She asked worriedly. "That sounded like Megure-"

The door burst open and a man with wild eyes burst in. Gin.

Haibara would recognize those eyes anywhere, not to mention strands of silver were loose from his cap.

And he was holding a gun in his left hand.

He raked the room with his piercing glare. His intense gaze fixed on Conan, sitting in the bed and seeming quite bemused. Gin tensed and then flipped a viciously sharp knife from his sleeve. He gripped it tightly and pointed the tip of the blade toward Conan.

"You." He snarled angrily.

* * *

><p>Well well. It seemed just when Haibara Ai managed to get hold of a situation, just when she thought she would be pretty much ready for whatever the world threw at her; things like <em>this <em>happened. She felt the situation slipping out of her grasp once again.

Haibara suddenly recognized the wild look in his eyes. The cornered, caged looked. It seemed the organization was hunting Gin, of all people. And he seemed intent on killing a certain Edogawa Conan, before the organization could even get their paws on the meitantei.

Haibara supposed she and Conan should be honored that the world seemed out to destroy them.

* * *

><p>*Yeah it was Dr. Faro not Dr. Mikihiko... he was the nice-ish doctor Conan got later on. :P<p>

Well? What do you think? Not too bad, right? Here the actual literal _action _starts :)

Ohhh yeahhh and I really like the reviews and stuff :D I'm gonna try it again, a little bit differently?

5 reviews= To make me start

10 reviews (counting the previous 5)= For me to publish

Come on, I'm not asking for _that_ many reviews... .

Annnywayssss... see y'all in my next chapter! :)


	10. A Scarlet Work of Art

**A/N:** If you kill me, you'll never know what happens at the end. Keep that in mind. o.O

I could probably give you fifteen reasons why I wasn't able to publish this earlier. Chinese finals, piano auditions, work, karate, other creative stuff, etc. I was also sick for a few days. And I have a killer allergy. Plus, the end of a school year always gets so cramped. But I guess you didn't come here to read my excuses. I'm surprised you actually bother reading this note. But yeah, I always read author's notes, so...

Obvious disclaimer I haven't put up in a while, DC members aren't mine. DC is not mine. These ideas are mostly mine. _Mostly_. If you've got a problem with that, try to think up a completely original idea. Completely un-influenced by others.

...

Exactly. Anyway:

**C/A:**Yes. A lot.

and

**C/H: **Yes. Have fun.

Well hopefully I kept that short and sweet. (No, not really.) Enjoy these short ten pages! (I'm sorry okay? TT-TT)

-Icie911

* * *

><p>Conan stared at the crazed man in front of him. Did he recognize him? … No, not really. He strained to recall a man with a cap and a few strands of silver hair. Silver hair… that seemed kind of familiar. But nope, he didn't really remember ever seeing the man in front of him.<p>

Haibara stood, frozen, rooted to the spot. Gin was here. That… that meant… It couldn't be! _Impossible! _The organization was trying to _kill_ Gin! Just when the world didn't seem like it could get any _stranger_… she didn't even bother finishing the thought. So the organization would have been smart enough to realize she probably wouldn't take Conan back into the same hospital, and the chances of him being even _in _the hospital were slim. But it seemed that when hunted, even Gin lost some of his mind, his sense of common logic that after a month Conan shouldn't even be _near_ a hospital anymore.

Conan squinted at the knife. "Hey." He said to Gin, to the man he had been furiously hunting down for a year, easily and in the way only a clueless child could. "Knives are dangerous. Ran-neechan said so. You should be more careful. Ran-neechan said you should never point a knife at someone."

Gin cocked his head. What kind of nonsense was the brat spewing out? He sounded like an actual snot-nosed kid. And who the hell was this 'Ran-neechan'? Wait… she was probably that stupid crying girl he had seen with Kudo at the park during that first murder in Tropical Land. He shook his head in disgust. This brat was trying to confuse him, and it was working.

"Shuddap." He growled.

Conan scrunched his face up, unaware of the danger. "Ran-neechan says that's a bad word. You're gonna get in trouble~"

Gin decided to turn away from the kid. He could spend a precious minute or two before he killed the tantei. Either way, when push came to shove, all he needed were his gun, himself, and the brat. Nothing else would matter. But for now…

"Well, well, Sherry… what kind of company are you linking yourself with?" Gin drawled, his voice silkily laced with poison. Haibara shuddered at the cold scrape of his voice, frighteningly familiar. Gin's grin broadened when he saw his effect. _This_ ground was familiar. That stupid brat acted like he was any regular person, but not Sherry. No, he could always count on Sherry to give him that shot of pleasure, seeing her so frightened of him.

"Gin." When Haibara spoke, she managed to keep her voice indifferent and icy. "To what do we owe the pleasure…?" She was the picture of calm and cool, her eyes just as cold as Gin's.

She didn't fool Gin for a minute. He saw how her jaw trembled, and how her hands shook ever so slightly.

"I think you know well enough, koibito." Gin's eyes sparkled coldly. "I'm here to finish business-" he waved his knife in Conan's direction, "with him."

Haibara squared her shoulders, and stood up straight. Her eyes were just as stony and cold as Gin's. Her face just as icy and hostile. Teeth clenched tight, fists tighter. _Only a distraction… a single distraction. Just one moment…_ She tensed. She knew all the gadgets hakase made were in the drawer just three steps away. But a single movement when Gin was solely focused on Conan and her would result in severe injury if not death.

Suddenly a movement caught the corner of her eye. A flash of a brown hat and trench coat. And a finger pressing the connect button to a four-way radio. Her face moved not a single inch._Megure_. She thought gratefully. _Thank you._

Haibara got ready to sprint. The silent silhouette of Megure's figure raised up, a heavy metal pole clutched in both hands. He took a step forward, right behind Gin, and raised his bat. A rustle of his sleeve whispered as the bat swung downward at high speed, aiming at Gin's head. Five inches from his head. Four inches. Three. Two… one.

Gin moved suddenly and whirled around. In that split second, Haibara raced toward the dresser. Pulling both drawers out with speed and power she never knew she had, she swiftly removed the precious sneakers, soccer ball belt, and the stretchy suspenders. In a lightning quick afterthought she took the bulletproof glasses and bowtie as well. She didn't think anything else would be much use. Meanwhile, the resounding _crack_ sounded as Megure's bat connected… with Gin's wrist. He revealed his trademark sinister smile.

"Damn." Megure spat. A broken wrist wouldn't do anything. T_hat was my only chance. Shit_. He cursed silently.

Gin revealed a wider toothy grin. "It was close," he complimented, reading Megure's face as easily as a book. "But that rustle? That one moment, _**I heard you.**_" His voice raked down Megure's back.

* * *

><p>Sato, Takagi, and Shiratori listened in horrified silence as the radio broadcasted their inspector's misadventures. Ran stood frozen… the juices slipped from her hand and hit the ground with a thud. That brought the officers back into focus.<p>

Ran's mouth opened. "I have to do someth-"

"No." replied Shiratori swiftly. He barked out orders. "Takagi, with me. Sato, stay with Ran. Protect her, and if we can't stop that goddamned bastard then it'll be up to you two." The males raced off.

Ran reached after them, her hand trailing the way it had the day Shinichi left her. That fateful day. "Conan…" she whispered hoarsely.

"Don't worry Ran." Sato replied, trying to sound upbeat. "Takagi may seem like a wimpy, no-good, useless, scatter-brained, addled, clumsy, weak…" She wrinkled her brow. "Where was I…?"

Ran raised an eyebrow. "Takagi _may_ be a 'fool,' but…?"

"Oh yeah!" Sato recollected. "He's a lot braver and stronger than you think. And Shiratori's got that cool head of his and his composure… even though he can't shoot for his life." She muttered the end under her breath.

Clenching her fists, Ran thought, _I'm useless. I can't do anything. NOTHING. I couldn't do anything a year ago. And after Shih- Haibara told me, after all that, I still can't do a thing. Not a single thing to protect Conan. Not a single thing to save Shinichi. Why? I know karate! I can protect myself! So why, WHY, am I still just a burden?_ Ran felt a despairing, hollow anger fill her. Balling her hands into tighter fists, she screamed silently, _**WHY? **_But her fists remained by her sides. Anger, despair… she couldn't punch what she couldn't see. She was a helpless burden. She was useless.

* * *

><p>Conan gaped as Gin smiled on coldly. Megure shuddered, but his every muscle was tensed, ready to act on a moment's notice. Now it was Gin who needed a distraction. But like <em>hell <em>would he pray for one. He noticed the green light on the radio strapped to Megure's waist was blinking. Connection was on. Killer ecstasy rushed through him. _Why don't you officers come running to your precious inspector… and to your dooms!_

Confusion swam in Megure's eyes. He pretended not to notice Haibara emptying… was that a bowtie…? Never mind. But he was worried, _very_ worried about that certain gleam in Gin's eyes. Was there something that he missed…? A green flash flickered. _The radio._

_Holy shit. Sato, Shiratori, Takagi! Ran-san!_

There was a pounding of footsteps…_ No! Not now! I forbid you- _The footsteps thudded louder… louder.

Megure whipped his head quickly around, roaring, "No! Don't! Get back don't come any-"

Gin cackled, and drove the knife deep into Megure's stomach. A look of complete surprise crossed his face. He looked down at the foreign object protruding from his stomach. It was blocking the bleeding… for now… And then the pain hit him.

"Shit." He muttered as he stumbled back and crumpled to the floor. Haibara froze. _I'm so sorry… Megure-sama…_

_Oh no. The officers!_

"Get back!" She screamed, paying no regard to what attention she drew from Gin. "Don't you fools-"

"Megure-sama!" cried Shiratori, eyes wide. "Why…! How dare you!" He whipped the gun from his holster. Leveling it at Gin's head, he steadily said, "You're going to pay for that."

Gin laughed. The sharp, cold sound filled the room. Megure groaned, "Shiratori… don't try… knowing…you… you'd hit the children… instead…"

Gin looked at his empty hand. "Hmm… I have no knife anymore… but judging by what your beloved inspector said, **I won't be needing it!**" He fixed the gun at Shiratori's heart and pulled the trigger with no hesitation.

"NO!" screamed Haibara lunging at him from behind. She managed to pull him off balance _just_ enough so that the bullet wouldn't do vital damage. Shiratori went down, a smoking hole protruding from the right side of his chest.

"Damn." spat Gin, shaking Haibara off. "Don't get in my way!" He whipped around, a powerful backhand catching Haibara in the face and spinning her until she crashed into the bed, next to the dresser. A thin line of blood trickled from her mouth. "I'll deal with you later." Gin dismissed, just as Takagi ran in.

Whirling around, Gin was already shooting when he hit Takagi. Five bullet holes spattered the hospital walls, two near Takagi, one wildly off course, and two in Takagi's flesh. He stumbled and fell, a gun he never had a chance to shoot clattering from his hand. He clutched his left leg, where two neat bullet holes oozed blood.

"Wow," Gin commented, spinning the gun casually in his hand, "that was easy. The police are such fools." A breeze rustled through the open window, fluttering the curtains. "Well," he said, turning toward Conan. "What now, our dear tantei brat?"

"I'm not…dead… yet!" Haibara struggled to her feet, wiping away the blood. She stood unsteadily, but a determined fire lit her eyes.

"Ah, Sherry." Gin flicked hair out of his eyes. During the struggle, his cap had fallen off. It was nice to feel his long silver hair hanging down his back again, slightly rustled by the wind. It almost felt… like old times. He savored the thought. "Still have some fight left in you, eh? I suppose it runs in the family… Akemi was always such a defiant girl."

Ai stiffened. The fire in her eyes had turned to ice. Her fist tightened around the watch, hoping that the hakase had made the tranquilizer stronger… since the last one had barely worked on Gin. Her socked foot silently, stealthily moved toward the sneaker, the left one, the one with the dial that cranked up her strength. A ghost of a smile flickered across Gin's face.

"Still trying to play games with me, eh, Sherry? I know all about those shoes and that watch!" He whirled around, swiftly stepping just far enough to neatly snatch the knife from the inspector's wound. He paid no attention to the sudden blood spraying from Megure's gut, nor to his anguished cries.

Haibara stared in horror, her foot in one shoe but not the other, her attack forgotten, as Gin tsked and muttered, "Damn that inspector. This was my best blade… now it's going to rust."

"Why… you… you despicable…!" Haibara clenched her fists. She moved away from Conan, who was watching these events unfold with wide eyes. If Gin were to try and shoot, it'd best not to have those bullets near the child. _Damn you Kudo, where the hell are you when we need you?_ Haibara cursed at him silently.

"Now, now, don't run away…" cooed Gin in a sickly, insane tone. "I'm not finished with you yet…"

"Running?" Haibara glared ice daggers. "As if." She snatched the bulletproof glasses from the table. Pushing the lenses out, she held one in each hand. _Let's see if that half year Akemi spent training with me, just in case physical strength or agility was needed, finally comes into play…_ With each hand holding a disk of bulletproof material durable for approximately three to four hits, she just had to move fast enough to block. Bullets from the average pistol that Gin was holding travel about 1100-1350 per second. _If Mouri-san… Ran-kun, can dodge them, so can I!_

Gin wasn't stupid. Oh, he might be insane, he might have sold his soul to Satan, but he wasn't stupid…yet. He recognized the certain gleam of bulletproof glass. It was slightly thicker, and anyway, why would a former organization member be dumb enough to attempt using normal glass as a shield? He grinned. A challenge. He loved it when his victims resisted. It was _ever_ the more fun to see them fall.

He fired three quick shots in succession, Three vital organs: heart, kidney, and lungs. Haibara's hand flashed as she blocked each bullet a millisecond before they hit their targets. Sweat trickled down her face, which was intense with its concentration. He fired five more. The first three were blocked. The fourth, her hand was shaking slightly, and it ricocheted off, grazing her wrist. Blood ran down her arm, the slightly cracked lens falling to the floor, useless. She barely had time to curse before weakly attempting to deflect the last bullet with her other hand. It was blocked, but the glass shattered in her hands. She dropped the shards before they could cut too deeply into her palms.

She summed up her feelings quite nicely in one word. "Fuck."

Gin's eyes shone. Oh how he'd _waited_ for this moment! This moment, to strip Sherry of her accursed pride and rightfulness, to finally _destroy_ her! He raised the knife, aiming. Haibara tensed, waiting for the moment when she could try and dodge. Gin grinned wide. His throwing accuracy was the second best in the organization. He rarely ever missed.

* * *

><p>Conan suddenly felt something. Deep inside, something swirled. A deep voice, a voice he'd never heard before (had he…?) was telling him something. <em>CALL OUT! <em>It screamed at him. _Save Haibara! _Conan shook. Who was this person? Why was he calling to him? _HURRY! THIS COULD BE OUR ONLY CHANCE!_ What chance? What was this person talking about? Conan's never seen this killer person before in his life!

_Don't be an idiot! GO! Don't you recognize him?_

The voice overwhelmed him. Suddenly, thoughts, _words_, flashed through his mind. They poured from his mouth without him even thinking.

"Hey Gin. Long time no see." Gin had started to throw when Conan started: the voice was so sudden and unexpected that his hand jerked. Barely, but just enough. Haibara dodged, and the flash of silver and rusted blood sank into the wall. She had jumped closer to the door, a little farther from Conan. She mentally cursed her stupidity.

Gin cursed his own as well. For the first time, he realized just how much his touch had slipped. Two months ago, he wouldn't have even heard the child's voice. His world would've solely been focused on the kill. The glorious kill.

"What's wrong, Gin?" Conan's thin voice was cold, like a slender rod of black ice. "Have you lost your touch?" Gin suddenly saw an older version of this boy. He never remembered his victims. _Never_. But suddenly, Kudo Shinichi's face was crystal clear. Crystal clear.

Before, the brat had treated him like he was dirt. Now… he was charging at him full on, with no fear. He could feel his cool slipping. What was wrong with him? His cool never slipped!

"Discomfort? Why, I thought you were just a cold-blooded murderer. Is there something wrong? Could it be…" Conan's laugh seemed to rival Gin's in coldness, "that you're afraid of _me_? A mere child? Maybe that tantei you tried to kill in Tropical Land? You failed to kill me there, Gin. Oh, you've gotten so many chances to kill me. You all have." There was a dangerous gleam in those brilliant blue eyes. "I've nearly died so many times. **_So-many-_**_**times**__. _But every single time… my death has failed to arrive. What will you do now? What if you fail to kill me once again?"

Haibara's hopes soared. Could it be…? Did her pill… actually… work? "Kudo!" she cried out joyously. "You're back-"

Her voice shook the child amnesiac back into reality.

"Wh-who's… K-kudo…?" Conan's voice suddenly quavered. It lost its mature touch, the slight tint that made him the beloved meitantei. His words suddenly dried. What was he talking about? How could this man have tried to kill him? Was he that special? Could he have avoided death so many times? _I-i-idiot!_ The voice inside him cried. _You nearly had him!_ Who? Conan didn't understand anything. Why did Haibara-san look so devastated? Why did the killer man look… afraid…? Of him…? _Baka, it's because-_ the voice seemed to be getting fainter. Conan still didn't know who he was. _Let me talk…!_ The voice cried desperately. Let the voice… talk? He would have… but the voice had suddenly faded.

Completely.

_No way…_ Haibara despaired. _Why? What use is my work if it doesn't work at the most crucial times? It was so close! What happened!?_

Gin shook himself. Whatever that sudden reaction was, it was just a bluff. _Damn. I__t nearly worked too._ But now… that brat was just another victim to kill. A dark butterfly rippled at the edge of his vision. But he wasn't going to allow his attention to stray from his victim anymore. Oh no, he'd learned his lesson. Maybe the tables had turned in his favor once again… one last person to kill. He'd finally get to see crimson blood stain the ground again.

He'd get to paint one last scarlet work of art.

* * *

><p>"I dunno <em>what<em> the hell you were spewing, but it's over now, ain't it. I'm finishing _you_ first. You were the only person I came here to kill." Gin drawled. Haibara was stunned. It was unlike Gin to talk to his victims. He usually had a policy: kill first, then talk. If that made any sense whatsoever. But either way, it was buying time. And maybe Gin was trying to torment Conan…?

"Sherry has become quite troublesome. I never thought-"

"Who's Sherry?" Conan interrupted. Haibara winced. Gin glared.

"Shut the fuck up. She's that other kid there." He continued, talking over Conan's persistence that her name was 'Haibara Ai.' "She has proven to be quite difficult… And then when I'm finished with her I'll see if I get to kill the others. It'll give me _great pleasure_," his voice scraped down Conan's back, who shivered, "to kill that 'Ran-neechan' you keep talking about."

Conan scrambled from his bed. He didn't know _what_ was going on, but he heard that Ran-neechan was going to be in danger. He remembered, faintly, from somewhere, that the "man" was supposed to protect the lady. He stood bravely, the effect of his actions somewhat diminished by his flimsy hospital gown and slippers. For some reason, the nii-san inside his head wouldn't talk to him, but he had a feeling, a strong feeling, that he was supposed to protect Ran-neechan.

"I won't let you kill Ran-neechan!" He cried, holding his head high, his cerulean eyes blazing with the anger of a child. "Even if you kill me, I won't!"

Haibara felt a pang in her heart.

That was something Kudo would've said.

"Very well." Gin's eyes glittered with malice. "Brave last words. Maybe someone here should engrave it on your tombstone… though I doubt anyone will survive to tell the tale." Haibara's heart was in her throat. She anticipated what would happen half a second before Gin flashed out his gun and used his last bullet. His hand was firm and steady, his aim true. No one had interfered with _this_ shot.

"No!" a scream tore from Haibara's throat.

It was a beautiful shot: steady and true.

The bullet streamlined toward Conan's heart.

* * *

><p>Meh. XD I have run out of reactions to give you after a cliffhanger… maybe this signifies something…<p>

Mwahahahaaaaa!

There. Somewhat appropriate but immature reaction.

Ha.

Um, yeah. I'm done with this whole: Give me (insert number) reviews and I'll post!

Because there's just too much pressure. And guilt. 'cause I can't write that fast. And, hey, who woulda guessed, but I'm also lazy .


	11. A Death and a Promise

**A/N:** HAHA MORBID CHAPTER NAME

CONAN'S GONNA DIE. IT'S GONNA BE A DEATHFIC.

LOL well I guess you'll have to see. Btw, if you're going to review on my lame before chapters about OOC'ness I'm just going to laugh at you.

I suppose I'll let you have a lil gem of a chapter (^-^) aren't I so nice? LOL I'M SO SORRY FOR THE HIATUS BUT I REALLY WANTED TO EDIT THE PREVIOUS CRAPPY CHAPTERS (which I didn't get to finish anyways...) well, this chapter was supposed to be y'alls Christmas present... but Christmas was yesterday and some people don't celebrate it.

However, I don't think any of you are gonna complain about that, ne?

By the way, I decided on a new format for these chapters... and I suppose the cliffy I left you guys with wasn't very nice of me... just promise you'll go and re-read my edits later, kay? T^T pleasse...?

Also, I finally use first person POV! Don't count on it often, though, I'm more comfortable with narrative voices.

Oh yeah and screw the alerts for cursing and cliffies. Just assume there's going to be both XD

(Sorry for the long A/N)

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Death and a Promise<strong>_

* * *

><p><em>Oi, meitantei-san.<em>

_Where are you?_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Ekoda High, before dismissal…<strong>_

_**(Morning of May 4**__**th**__**)**_

Kaito groaned as his teacher rambled about something to do with some theory about some math thing. _School is such a stupid waste of time._ He could be planning a KID heist. Or developing an epic new trick. Speaking of which… he grinned.

Aoko groaned. She knew that grin all too well. _Again…? BaKaito, can you go a freaking day without doing some magic trick?_ She stared down at her paper, math problems and notes scrawled on the lines. She raised her hand.

"Sensei?" she asked politely.

"Yes, Nakamori-san?"

"May I please use the restroom?"

"Sure, Nakamori-san. Just take the bathroom pass. Don't be too long."

"Yes, Sensei." She replied obediently. Aoko put her pencil down. Hopefully she could make it out the door before -

_Oh ho, not so fast Ahouko. _Kaito grinned devilishly. His violet eyes were bright under his messy dark hair. _You can't escape that easily…_

He snapped his fingers. The sound barely registered in Aoko's ears before a curling lilac smoke filled the room.

_ Joy._ The teacher groaned. _Why does this always happen to me…?_

The smoke cleared. Kaito grinned appreciatively at his latest trick. He stretched lazily in his seat, and ran his fingers through his hair casually. He knew it was going to happen any second now…

"_**BAKAITO!**_" Aoko screamed. "WHAT DID YOU DO _THIS_ TIME?"

Kaito winced. There it was. About now, Aoko would usually see her, uh, _new_ outfit and pull out that dreaded mop. _I seriously have no idea where she hides that thing,_ Kaito wondered absentmindedly.

"BAKAITO!" Aoko yelled. She struggled. Suddenly, she realized… she couldn't move. Her muscles refused to budge. Her hand would not lift, she couldn't stand up.

The rest of the classroom was realizing this about now. Even the teacher couldn't move, stuck in the standing position he had adopted before Kaito pulled his trick.

Kaito's smile widened. "Like it, my fellow classmates? Especially you, Ahouko. Can't pull out that mop now, can you?" he teased.

"WHY YOU…!" Aoko cried out furiously.

The whole class had literally been turned into living statues. Each was a shade of gray, except the teacher, who had specially been colored in lime green. Kaito had found a special plaster in a store just the other day. '_Quick Dry!'_ it had advertised. '_Stiff in only seconds!' _There were plenty of colors.

He laughed, crossing his legs.

"Ne, Sensei. How do you like that color? I thought it might suit you." Kaito smirked.

"Kuroba-san…" the teacher's voice had a warning tone, but Kaito knew he was helpless.

He looked at his teacher. "Yes, Sensei, the color really does suit you. You should wear it more often."

He checked the clock. Only a few more seconds 'till the bell rang for dismissal. He slowly, deliberately packed his things away.

Hakuba grimaced. _That stupid Kuroba!_ He had been turned into a silvery gray color, and he had been reaching in his bag for a pencil when the smoke had rolled in. He was getting quite sore from the awkward position.

Casually slinging his bag over his shoulder, Kaito sauntered toward the British detective. He leaned in, a little close for comfort. Hakuba would've drawn back if he could. Instead, he sat there, frozen.

"Something wrong, tantei-san*?" he asked innocently, a childish smile playing around his lips. "Feeling a little uncomfortable…?"

Hakuba growled at him. His eyes were icy, his usual poised demeanor slipping. The stupid magician. And the teacher was just about to start the most interesting part of the mathematical theory.

The bell rang. Outside the classroom, students started to bustle out of their classes, ready to go home. Noise filled the hallways, slightly muffled by the closed door.

Kaito grinned so widely Aoko thought it was going to split his face in half. "Well, my friends. There's the bell. Have a nice day, all of you. And Sensei," he winked, "lime really is your color." He snapped his fingers, one crisp sound, and disappeared through the doorway before a pale amethyst mist cloaked the room.

Finally freed of their chains, most students sighed in relief. They quickly packed, and started to make their way through the doors. When the last student had cleared out, the teacher collapsed into his chair and sighed. Pushing his glasses up, he mused over Kuroba's last comment._ Green, eh?_ He thought.

A few seconds later, he rolled his eyes. _As if._

All too late, he realized he had forgotten to assign homework. _Curse you, Kuroba-san. I bet that was part of your plan as well._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Through the streets<strong>_

Kaito quickly ran home. The last thing he needed was for Aoko to find him, but he had a five minute head start. He knew that since he had found a way to avoid Aoko's dreaded mop, she would probably pull something worse. He shuddered. Kaito knew all too well what Aoko would bring out.

A fish. A slimy, scaly, milky-eyed fish.

Just thinking about it gave him a panicked burst of energy to run faster.

At home, he sank, breathless, to the cold tile floor. He sprawled on the ground. _Ah…_ he silently sighed. The tiles were smooth and ice-cool. They soothed his skin.

After roughly fifteen minutes, he stood up and strolled toward his room. Pushing through the secret trapdoor, he inhaled the musty scent of the old room. He settled, cross-legged, onto the floor. Time to start planning the next heist. He heard that old man Suzuki had found another precious jewel. It was a fist sized sapphire and quite valuable…the Starless Sea. It was a beautiful thing, inky blue and glittering.

Kaito smiled as he settled into the familiar schedule of the planning stages of the KID's next heist. _Let's see if you can finally put me up to a challenge… oji-san._ He smirked, doubting that Suzuki could actually propose a threat to him.

He frowned, though, as he started to map out KID's note to the police. The tantei had been gone for awhile, that Kudo of the East. But that chibi tantei usually took his place. Edogawa something. However, the little boy hadn't been to his last two heists…That was quite unusual. _Well, chibi tantei, are you finding my heists a little boring now? How about I invite you to this one personally…eh? Maybe that'll pique your interest._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Gin's last bullet… well on its way to Conan's heart<strong>_

_**(Conan POV)**_

Time slows down as this crazed man's bullet spirals through the air. A million snapshots flick through my mind. _Ran…_

Nee-chan?

_No, just Ran. Agasa, Haibara, Hattori…_

I don't know who I am. _I am Edogawa Conan. I am Shinichi Kudo. _I don't know why I'm in this situation. _I'm here because of Gin's sneak attack and his attempt at poisoning me with APTX, I'm here because finally I get to regain my old life._ I don't know why Haibara's so scared, why she's so important to this Gin person. _Haibara's sister, Akemi, was killed by the hands of this man. He was an important organization member, the one Haibara used to fear the most. She was their genius scientist, she made APTX 4869._ I don't know this man in front of me; have no idea why he wants to kill me. _Gin is here because he wants to finish me before the BO can finish him, because I'm the reason he was branded a traitor. Because he couldn't kill me, because he failed to destroy me. _I don't know anything at all, everything's so confusing- _I know everything now, and it's all crystal clear. Finally._

The nii-san is back. _I am you. _I want to tell the nii-san that I protected Ran-neechan, that I was trying to defend her. _Protecting Ran has been an important part of my life since that day; there is no reason for that to change. It will always be one of my most important priorities._ I wonder if he can tell me what's going on. _I don't need to tell anyone anything; the words have always been in there, inside of us._ Us. I am the nii-san. He is no nii-san. He is Kudo Shinichi. _I_, am Kudo Shinichi. But I am also Conan Edogawa.

Memories drown me, all that's happened. Everything's happening so fast. _Gin's here._ I can finally regain my old body. _No, something's wrong._ There's a bullet. _Where?_ I can't move. Why? I don't know how to react. Gin's here but everything's wrong. Megure, Haibara, and Ran… where's Ran?

* * *

><p><em><strong>(Third Person Narrative)<strong>_

Haibara could read the recognition in Conan's face. She could see Kudo returning.

She could see that he was helpless, frozen.

As he replayed his memories, Gin was sending him a sure death. So her pill worked… but it was badly flawed._ It's too slow! He'll die!_

"No!" Haibara cried. She was already sprinting toward Conan. "Baka! You idiot tantei! MOVE!" she screamed at him, hysterical. _He can't die now! He can't!_ "KUDO!"

Fear was etched on the Conan's face. But he could not move. The shock, the sudden tide of memories had consumed him. Haibara knew, with a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach, that she would not reach him in time. She could see it now, the hot metal piercing Conan's heart, him dropping lifeless… blood everywhere. Everywhere. Her hand dropped…

Brushing the sneaker dial. The sneaker dial…

The sneaker dial!

Her fingers swiftly twisted it the highest it would go. Probably the first time anyone had ever used its full power.

_Hakase, let's see how well your invention works._

The sneaker flared, multicolored sparks flaring from the white hot sole. Haibara felt the sudden wind whiplash her face as she shot toward Conan, impossibly fast. And then, in that moment, she knew she could make it, even with only one sneaker. She could see it clearly. By a hair's breadth, she could save Edogawa. She could save Conan. _I can finally save someone… instead of killing them. How refreshing. _A strange smile crossed her lips.

_Everyone's waiting for you, Kudo. Don't let them down._

She shoved Conan away from the bullet's path, and he stumbled and crashed onto the floor. Haibara blinked for a brief moment before the bullet drilled into her, and a look of complete resignation crossed her face. She refused to let her agonized cries through her lips, but Conan could see the pain glittering in those eyes, those haunting eyes…

And Haibara fell, her blood splattering the ground.

Conan's eyes widened. "Haibara!" he yelled. "No, no, no!" he ran to her, knelt beside her. "Haibara, don't you _dare_ leave us yet!" Conan's eyes were wild. "What about Agasa? The hakase? Don't leave now; don't go to Akemi yet…!"

"Damn you Sherry." Gin snarled, a deathly glare burning from his ice cold eyes. "I told you I'd kill you later! Don't interfere!"

Conan leapt to his feet, eyes burning with hatred. Burning with the desire to kill. He snapped Gin's knife from the wall, stepping in front of Haibara's form. Gin immediately recognized the _ki_ radiating off the eight year old. A killer _ki_. But he knew better than to be afraid. Oh no, not this time.

He threw back his head, laughing. A maniacal laugh. Shiratori slumped behind him and Takagi was sprawled on the floor, both unconscious and breathing shallowly, their bullet wounds trickling cerise. But Megure was still, barely breathing, and a large russet colored stain covered his once white shirt. There was far too much blood. Behind Conan lay Haibara, coppery blood streaking the pristine hospital floor.

Conan's eyes were chips of flaming ice, his grip on the knife deadly. In one rapid movement, he could have Gin lying at his feet, dying. His grip tightened, his fingers white. He was all too ready to do it.

And here was Gin, laughing maniacally. He had crossed the fine line between insane and genius. He was mad. A psychopathic schizophrenic. A maniac.

Conan lunged, his grip loosening on the knife, about to set it hurtling toward the silver headed psycho, when two words stopped him.

"Don't… Edogawa…"

Conan's heart stopped. He dropped the knife, all killer intent gone. His face morphed, into horror, shock, resignation. Gin continued laughing.

"Haibara…" he said softly. He knelt beside her. "A nightmare… everyone dying… this has to be a nightmare…"

Haibara's eyes were half closed, and a tear ran down her cheek, mingling with her sweat. "Don't… Conan…" her words were faint. "Don't… you dare… become… a killer… don't you dare…" she coughed, flecks of blood spattered on her hand where she had covered her mouth, "let … everyone else…down."

"H-Haibara…" Conan whispered. His back was to Gin, but he didn't care now. He looked through the window, out at the soft-edged night. He looked up at the stars. And he saw that dark butterfly ripple across his vision, the same way it did with Gin. But suddenly, with a flash, he knew he didn't have to kill Gin. He recognized that butterfly.

He had no more time to think. A bullet streaked into the room, past him. Haibara's eyes widened. Conan turned in time to see it bury itself into Gin. Five millimeters below the heart. It was, needless to say, a fatal shot. Gin didn't seem to notice the hole in his chest. He staggered over to where Haibara lay, pushing Conan aside forcefully.

"Gin," Conan growled, lunging back at him, "don't you _dare _lay a single finger on her-"

"Thought you had me beat didn't you?" Gin's eyes burned with a feverish light. "Sherry? You thought so. No, no you didn't. You never beat me. This-" he pointed at the hole in his chest, "means nothing. NOTHING, you hear?! **Pain is just a state of mind.**"

Conan stopped dead. All his urgency evaporated. How could Gin still move? How could he act as if nothing happened? How… how could he still have something hidden up his sleeve, on last trick to play?

Haibara shivered with fear as Gin continued. "_You never had me beat. I can die, but I'll haunt you forever._" Conan shuddered. He knew that their memories of this darkness would never fade. But Gin wasn't finished yet. "Oh no, my darling." His voice grated, cold as ever. "I have one last secret. It's going to destroy you. You and Akemi, your precious bond." Haibara winced and the mention of her deceased sister. Conan stared. What the hell did he mean?

He whipped his head around, quickly scanning the night. The black gleam of a sniper and Chianti's signature butterfly tattoo were gone. Conan supposed that they had left Gin to die. And probably wreak havoc for the weak moments before he finally went to hell. Gin started laughing again. It sounded eerie, ever so eerie.

"Akemi… is someone… you can never… stain…" Haibara hoarsely whispered. "Not now… not ever… she's gone."

Gin's laughing ceased enough for him to reply. "Don't be so naïve. Someone we can never touch? It's too late, Sherry. It's too late for her. You're wrong. Dead wrong."

Haibara grimaced. "She's… gone…" she snarled, pushing herself into a sitting position. "You can never… have her… again!"

Before Gin could interrupt, Conan cut in. "You're wrong, Gin. It's too late for you. You're going to die. Once again, it's not me who shall meet Death today."

"And your safety came at the cost of several others' well being," rasped Gin. His eyes gleamed in the moonlight. "You are _oh so_ important, so these people here are sacrificed so you can remain unscathed." His words were flat, but they hit Conan hard.

"Shut up… Gin…" Haibara's managed to get out, before Conan could say anything. "It doesn't matter… anymore… we have the last… laugh. We are all alive. Some of us…barely. But we… are not going to die… today. I could not say… the same… for you." She coughed, spitting up some blood.

"Haibara!" Conan yelled. He knelt next to her. "Be careful, you still have that wound."

Haibara laughed weakly. "And I wonder why I have this bullet inside of me. Baka."

"Still laughing?" Gin tsked. "Not for long." He staggered, then fell. Conan was stunned. Here he was, his alleged killer in all his former glory… dying on the ground before him. The organization had gotten to him in the bitter end. "You won't be laughing long, I can guarantee…" he snarled softly. He coughed, blood spraying from his mouth. His wound was much more dangerous than Haibara's.

Suddenly, he grabbed Haibara's shirt, pulling her down toward his face. Haibara cried out in pain and shock, and Conan barely had time to yell at Gin before he continued, his breath rank in Haibara's face.

"Shut up, tantei. This is between me and her," He tossed at Conan.

He stared directly into Haibara's blue eyes. "Oh Sherry, you may be laughing now," he drawled slowly, "you and that Anokata both. I'm leaving this world, finally." His grip seemed to falter, to weaken. "But I've got one more trick in play. Trust me, when you've figured it out…" he laughed dryly, "remember that it was _me_… who had the last laugh. I'll be watching you in hell." And then his hand fell. His eyes were piercing, and they glared as Gin finally, finally… left this world. Forever. The feral light died. Haibara staggered back in relief.

"He's…dead." she whispered, so softly Conan didn't hear her. Her eyes were huge with shock. "How… is he just…dead…?" Haibara swayed unsteadily. "Akemi…" she murmured. "What have you done with her, you bastard?" Haibara collapsed.

"Haibara!" Conan caught her before she fell. "Oi, Haibara, be careful," he whispered soothingly.

"Hey, I'm fine," Haibara grinned weakly. "I'm not dying just yet. You'll have to deal with me for a bit longer…" And then she blacked out. Conan laid her gently on the ground.

Conan's was hit by a wave of alarm as he finally re-noticed the officers. "Megure, the officers! This is bad…" He rushed over to the fallen police officers. He found the transmitter radio, and pressed the button. After three bursts of static, the light flickered green.

"Ran!" he cried into the radio. "Officer Sato!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>The lobby<strong>_

Ran nearly cried in relief. Conan! And maybe that meant… Shinichi? No, she mustn't bring her hopes up yet.

"Conan!" she cried into the radio. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"_Oh Ran, I'm fine. But the inspector… Officer Shiratori, Officer Takagi, and Haibara are all badly wounded. Come, quick!_"

"We're on our way, Conan." Sato replied firmly, snatching Ran's hand as they ran toward the room.

Sato flinched when she saw the Takagi and Shiratori, but her heart nearly stopped when she saw the inspector. _No._ She thought silently, despairingly. _He isn't dead, he can't be dead…_

The young boy stepped in front of her line of vision. He carefully put on his glasses, the ones that had rested there, on the bridge of his nose, for nearly a year. His small face was grave, his eyes large.

"Officer Sato, he isn't dead. And he isn't as bad as I was the day Ran found me." he gestured toward Ran, who was gently caring for Ai. "But he's pretty close." Conan's voice was grim. You have to run as fast as you can, and get the doctor. It's an emergency, please go _**now**_."

Sato turned her back and ran. She didn't bother with the elevator, just smashed open the door to the emergency stairs and jumped over the railing, going as quickly as she could.** Conan sighed, sitting on the ground with a heavy thump. He was dead, dead tired.

"C-conan?" a trembling voice asked him. He looked up into those familiar, familiar, eyes.

"Ran…" He whispered softly. He spoke the name as if it was a great treasure, a fragile treasure that must be handled carefully. "Ran."

Tears welled up in Ran's eyes. "You're back." It was more of a question than a statement.

"Yes." Conan replied. He looked up at Ran with a small smile; weariness was carved on his face. "I'm back."

Ran set Haibara down, gently, on the hospital bed Conan had been lying on. She took three steps forward, embracing Conan. She held him tightly.

"Oh, and Shinichi…?"

"Hmm?"

Ran managed a smile. "Happy Birthday."

Conan sighed wearily, and then grinned. "I'd completely forgotten."

"I know. You always do." Ran hugged Conan tighter.

"Don't ever leave me again…" she whispered softly, so only he could hear. "Don't leave me alone like that… Shinichi. Please."

_Don't worry Ran… I'll never make that mistake again._

_That's a promise._

* * *

><p><em><strong>A week later<strong>_

Conan breathed out. It was close… but they had managed to stabilize Haibara and Megure, whose conditions had been the most concerning. The officers and Haibara would be discharged from the hospital this afternoon. Megure would stay the night and be released the next morning.

The week had been busy. Quite busy. After careful debate, Eri, Kogoro, Yumi, Chiba, and the select members of the FBI (Jodie, James Black, Agent Camel) were chosen to learn his secret. Jodie had been mildly surprised, but she'd guessed as much. Eri questioned the possibility of such a thing happening, Kogoro ranted about Ran's safety and how he wouldn't let her fight alongside this "free-loading brat," and Chiba and Yumi took the news rather averagely. There had been a nearly shattered window, but nothing else. Ran had shown Kogoro that she was quite capable of taking care of herself… at the cost of one cracked window. Needless to say, Kogoro had no more words to say, although he seemed quite deflated that his sudden rise in fame as "Sleeping Kogoro" wasn't his own doing after all.

Conan decided not to rub that one in his face. Kogoro had more pressing things to worry about, and well, if he ever beat this damn organization he'd find ways to get back at the old man. Maybe it would be good to have Ran's father in his debt as well. He smirked lightly. Conan remembered all too well the bruises and bumps he'd gotten from the oji-san. It would be payback.

Later.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Somewhere…<strong>_

An icily beautiful lady lounged on cushioned seat, twirling a blade through the air. It sliced through the air, carving intricate patterns no one could see. Her blond curls cascaded carelessly over one shoulder and her crystal blue eyes were hard. A sly, slightly amused smile curled her glossed lips. She crossed her legs, and caught the blade between two fingers. In a swift movement too quick to see, she threw the knife, straight as an arrow.

Not a second later, the knife made a soft _plunk_ as it stuck into the wall, smooth as butter. Bull's eye. A thick red "**X**" crossed Sherry's face. Vermouth pursed her lips in what could _almost_ be called regret.

"#**Sorry**#**Cool**#**Guy**#. . ." she whispered. "#**But**#**leaving**#**_her_**#**alone**#**is**#**a**#**promise**#**I**#**can't**#**keep**#."***

The police had left Gin's dead body to the organization. Haibara reasoned that the organization probably didn't want them to deal with Gin's body, and really, (she had shuddered then,) she didn't want to either. Of course, there were still blood stains, but fresh coats of paint had covered them well enough. Thankfully, no blood had gotten on the dresser, bed, or curtains. Those would've been a little harder to replace. There was also the problem of the bullet holes, but Agasa happened to have some leftover putty that he could fill into and smooth over the blemishes, and after a careful layer of paint and sealant, traces of the charred holes had been completely erased.

What was bothering Conan though, was _how_ the organization had gotten the body. The hospital had been told that for police reasons the room was to be closed off until further notice. Before they'd even started fixing the room, Gin's body had disappeared. No civilians had been let in. All patients had stayed in their rooms. It chilled Conan to think that a doctor or nurse… or _someone_ working at the hospital had probably been ordered to remove Gin's corpse. No one else was moving about on that floor. The BO was everywhere… and he felt caged. They could probably kill him at a moment's notice. He was always on guard, always tense. He'd have to talk to the hakase and the others about changing their appearances later.

For safety, the police had notified Teitan Elementary and Teitan High that Mouri Ran, Edogawa Conan, and Haibara Ai would not be attending school until they were further notified. It was essential that they started cutting ties _now_, before things escalated too far.

Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko were told that Conan was going on a long trip outside of Japan, and told to be careful… when Mitsuhiko questioned that, Megure had simply told him that there were many "bad guys" around this time, so they should stay away from strangers and _never_ tell them anything about themselves or their friends.

If things got bad, Agasa had agreed to take the children on a "vacation" to Iceland, or somewhere isolated. He had friends, close friends in places like those, that he could rely upon during a moment's notice. Eri, Kogoro, Yukiko, and Yusaku had gone into hiding, somewhere even Ran and Conan hadn't been told about. Yusaku had placed his hand on Conan's shoulder and told him that no matter what, they'd be ready to come and aid them. There had been a few tears from Yukiko, and then they were gone. Just like that. Conan hadn't seen them for a few days now.

However, there was someone he needed to confront right now.

Conan was walking. Eventually, he stopped in front of his home, fondly sweeping his gaze around the yard, and finally on his house. A curtain on the second floor rustled a bit. _Ah, so he's here._ He had to stretch quite uncomfortably to reach the latch on the gate, and eventually as able to walk up the steps to his house. Unlocking the front door, he walked inside, inhaling the familiar musty scent of his home.

"Subaru-san?" he called. His voice resounded around the house. A few seconds passed.

"In the library," came the answer.

As he walked to the library, he mused over the reasons this guy would've walked from the upper levels down to the library. When he reached it, he was greeted by the thousands of books piled on the shelves. Surprisingly, they seemed to be in good condition. _When was the last time I was here…?_ Subaru's back was to him. He was wearing another one of his turtleneck sweaters, although it was already springtime and a little warm for wool. This one was a burgundy color, a few shades darker than his hair. His left hand was up, running his fingers along the spines of the books.

He turned around. "Ah, hello Conan-kun. I thought you were on a trip?" Conan looked at him blankly for a second. _Oh…right. Well, it's a bit late now to realize that._

"Konnichiwa, Subaru-san." Conan found himself using his childish tone. He shook his head once. _Old habits are hard to break,_ he thought wryly. "Ah, did you dust the books recently?" he asked.

"Well, I felt since I was using this house for free; I might as well help around a little. Clean here and there, a few small things like that." Subaru replied. "Aren't you supposed to be outside of Japan?"

"Well, as you can clearly see, I'm still here. In the flesh. And I have something to discuss with you," Conan replied. He felt an old light spark in his eyes again. A faint smile whispered across his face. "Sit down." He gestured at the two armchairs.

They sat.

"Well, as I assume, you have had quite a few suspicions about me, hm?" Conan started off, direct and to the point. He didn't have much time. Subaru didn't answer. He shifted his position.

"I'm guessing you've heard of Kudo Shinichi?" And with that, Conan explained his story. From the time Gin and Vodka had drugged him to the night at the hospital a week ago.

Roughly an hour later, he finished his story. Subaru had cut in a few times, they had discussed theories on why he had shrunk instead of died, and how believable or testable this story was.

"Maybe you're wondering why I would tell a complete stranger this," Conan said.

"Maybe." Subaru said shortly. His rectangular glasses glinted strangely.

"Well, first off, I let you use this house. I wouldn't let a BO member do that, and well, Haibara would've been able to sense if you were one. However, she _did_ sense something the first time we saw you at that case. Which brings me to my deduction, Subaru-san."

There was no reply, but Subaru tilted his head slightly. The light of the library reflected off his glasses. There was an interesting sort of aura surrounding him.

"So I've decided to share this story to you, Subaru-san… Or should I say, Akai Shuuichi, former Black Organization member?" Conan leaned back. There wasn't any solid proof of his deduction; it was more of a gut instinct. It was not the best way to deduce, but he had a strong feeling he was right. Besides, even if he didn't like pronouncing without solid evidence, he was short on time.

Subaru (Akai?) said nothing. The silence stretched for a long while, until finally he spoke.

"And what makes you think I am this 'Shuuichi Akai' person?" The question was phrased carefully, not revealing anything, but a clear invitation for Conan to explain his reasoning.

"Well, it's my personal belief Akai wouldn't have been killed off so easily. As a former BO member and an FBI agent, it seems doubtful he would've been suckered into such an obvious plan to be silenced. The 'Burn Akai' that was seen around the place seemed quite suspicious, he used his right hand instead of left, and I know that Akai is a lefty. He also refused to speak, though I doubt it was because he lost his memory. After all, during that one case where Jodie-sensei received a coffee doily with the warning about the bomb case, it was clear that if Akai was that man with the burn, he would've possessed all his former memories. Most likely, that 'Burn Akai' was Bourbon, dressed as you, or if you still refuse to admit it, dressed as Akai Shuuichi, to see what he could stir up. I believe you were at that case as well, and bumped into Jodie-sensei? You were looking for that 'Burn Akai' weren't you? To see who would try and dress as you, or perhaps to confront him. You were on that train as well, weren't you? When we discovered Bourbon was actually Tooru. I'm guessing you were the _real _Akai that both he and Haibara saw. Also, I noticed that you're a lefty, just as Akai was. Or, instead of was, is…?"

Almost as an afterthought, Conan added, "Since you were previously in the organization, Haibara thought she sensed the familiar aura off you. I have to say, you've concealed it decently since then."

He sat back in his chair, crossing his legs.

Conan had made his point. He would say no more. It was up to Subaru to either confess or deny.

A strangely familiar smile curved the edges of Subaru's mouth. He took off his glasses, blinked three times, and opened his eyes naturally. Without the strong glasses dulling his vision, he was able to open his eyes instead of squinting. Conan grinned cockily. He knew it.

The edges of Subaru's eyes were thickly darkened into fine lines that made him look either tired or far older than he really was. He had noticed the same lines on Akai, and Sera as well. Both of them (brother and sister) had an intelligent glimmer in their eyes that marked them as detectives, or in Akai's case, a sharp FBI agent.

"I'll take that as your answer," Conan raised an eyebrow, and slight smile crossing his lips. "Sera-kun is still wondering if that burned man she saw on the train really was you."

Subaru (or should we call him Akai?) relaxed ever so slightly. "She's a good kid," he laughed quietly. His voice seemed to change a little, take on the tone that sounded more like the way Akai usually spoke. "She doesn't need her nii-san to keep her safe anymore. I haven't seen her in quite awhile… she always was a tomboy," he mused. "I liked her hair when it was longer, now she looks like a boy, although I suppose that might be the reason why she cut it…"

Conan had to repress a laugh at how affectionately Akai spoke of his younger sister. He seemed more open, less like a hardened agent. Subaru seemed to notice Conan's smirk and stopped dead. A mask slipped over the older man's features again.

"Anyway," Conan cleared his throat, "I'd really love to know how you were able to pull off your 'death' with Kir, but we can save that for another time. Although, Gin was a little off for the past few months…" Was it just Subaru or was there a teasing tone in Conan's last sentence…? The FBI agent could almost hear the end of the sentence the meitantei didn't articulate. _He was off for a few months worrying about me, maybe he wasn't paying so much attention to _you_, hm?_

"However, I think we should keep this chat a little secret. I'll keep referring to you as 'Subaru-san,' and we won't tell anyone that you're Akai Shuuichi. The less anyone knows the better." _And,_ Conan thought silently,_ we can keep the fact that it was partly your mistake and partly Camel-san's that Haibara's precious sister was killed…and that you were Moroboshi Dai, Akemi's boyfriend. _

Subaru placed the rectangular glasses back on his face. The strength of the glasses nearly blinded him, and he found himself squinting again. When he spoke again, his voice had changed back into 'Subaru's' voice.

"See you later, Conan-kun. Or maybe not." And then Conan stood and left, leaving Subaru alone in the library. As he left, he passed the kitchen. The newspaper on the table. _Eh?_

Conan walked in, and picking up the newspaper, read the headlines.

KID DECLARES A HEIST! SUZUKI CHALLENGED FOR STARLESS SEA

(more information on p9)

The shrunken teen flipped through the pages. _I do need a distraction, _Conan mused. _Maybe I'll go._

"Subaru!" Conan called. "I'm taking the newspaper, alright?"

"Okay, Conan. I've already read it," came the reply.

"Arigatou!"

As the boy walked through the door with the newspaper folded neatly in his hand, he glanced at the small tree in his yard, remembering how in one of his nightmares, the tree had subconsciously grown and ten years had passed. He shuddered.

_Kaitou KID, eh? I just may be able to go to his heist later._

Unfolding the newspaper, he read the note casually while walking back.

_Interesting_… __

__Eh? What's this?__

* * *

><p>So I thought since I left y'all with such a terribly perfect cliffie last time I'd only give you guys a small one now.<p>

Hmm… I wonder what Conan noticed?

Gosh, all the people screaming at me that I killed Conan, WAITASEC I NEVA SAID THAT... I JUST INPLICITLY HINTED THAT HE MIGHT DIE (which wouldn't make for a very good story, no?)

*I don't remember what Kaito calls Hakuba; therefore, from now on (edit: Thanks, ILoveFanfiction-AnimeAdik)

Hakuba= tantei-san

Shinichi= meitantei

Hattori= tantei-han

Conan= tantei-kun or chibi tantei

Kogoro= tantei-baka

** Kids, this is dangerous. Don't try it at home.

*** From now on, English will be typed in this format

#**A**#**secret**#**makes**#**a**#**woman**#**a**#**woman**#.

Sorry if it's hard to read. Any other suggestions? I wanted to do spacing but this doc manager format thing won't let me TT^TT

Yeah and since Tooru is Bourbon and Burn Akai, I decided Shuu-chan's gon be Subaru :D

REVIEW! PLEASE! I MIGHT UPDATE SOONER AND JUST FORGET ABOUT EDITING IF YOU DO! /bribes

(P.S: Sorry if Conan was OOC. And Haibara. oopsy.)


	12. Kaitou KID

**A/N: **I guess I'm back from hiatus, guys XD Sorry for the wait, I lost motivation for this fic awhile back… but rereading the reviews pulled me back :P Anyways, last chapter was KID inviting Conan to the heist, so here's the actual heist :D

(Gomen, minna-san. I suck at writing heist notes, and planning KID heists as well. GOMEN T^T)

Well, I suppose that since it's summertime, I perchance may be able to continue this story. More time, yay XD

Uh, yeah. This fic is going to be messy, guys. I still want to edit the previous chapters, but yeah /scratches head/

Oh well. Enjoy the chapter :3

-Icie911

* * *

><p><strong><em>Kaitou KID<em>**

* * *

><p><em>Play a game with me, tantei-kun?<em>

* * *

><p>Conan stared at the newspaper. Now that he'd thought of it, he hadn't gone to a heist in quite a while. True, he <em>was<em> KID's adversary, but he _had_ been a little… busy… recently. _I guess KID doesn't care how preoccupied I've been,_ Conan raised an eyebrow. _Taking matters into your own hands?_

"And even going as far as inviting me personally," Conan muttered.

"What was that, Conan?" Ran asked him, leaning down and causing a strand of hair to fall from behind her ear.

"E-eh? I'm home already?"

Ran almost laughed, then seemed to remember she wasn't quite ready to forgive the faux kid. _All those lies… _she thought sadly. _Even if it was for my own good. _

"What're you so interested in now, Shinichi?" Ran asked, feigning nonchalance.

"Kaitou KID's heist," Conan replied absentmindedly.

"You want to go, I'm assuming." Ran's voice was unreadable.

"Yeah, I'm going." Conan seemed oblivious to his childhood friend, occasionally scribbling a side note on the newspaper.

"Well, you're going to need a guardian, and you haven't asked permission yet." Ran didn't know why she was getting so worked up over this.

"I'm not a little kid, Ran."

Ran breathed out, stressing. "Sorry, Shinichi." She wanted to mean those two words, she really did… but a couple of extra words slipped bitterly through her lips. "I'm just so used to you _being_ a child_._" Internally, she winced at the stinging tone of her words. What was _wrong _with her?

Conan snapped out of his writing fever, wincing at the sarcasm in Ran's voice. "I thought we'd already gone over this." A flicker of painful sadness flickered in his aged cerulean eyes, although he kept his voice and face impassive.

The almost indifferent, dismissing tone of voice was what pushed Ran over the brink of anger. Very softly, with every drop of bruised bitterness in her soul, she gritted, "It's never over, Shinichi. Those nights where I sat crying, those times when you were right there… you can't change what's already past, and I can't forget it either. I'm sorry, but I can't." Ran bit her lip and looked away, eyes shadowed by her hair. "It's never over when you realize the person you trusted the most pulled you along by a string, like a puppet whose cruel puppeteer never lets her reach the end. To be lied to, over and over again, only to have you reveal the truth and then justify it with the fact that _it was to protect me. _All those nights," Ran clenched her fingers together, her voice rising, "all those days, all those hours I spent agonizing over it. I promised myself I wouldn't get caught up in all this selfish hurt of mine, but I feel like I'm drowning, Shinichi, and the person I've always used as my life jacket has let me slip through the cracks!" Tears had begun to form in her eyes.

"I know." And in those two words, spoken so softly, with so much sorrow in it, was what drained all Ran's anger away. "I _know_ Ran," the anguish in his voice was heart-wrenching and bitter and helpless. "I know it hurt, I saw it with my own eyes. I wanted so badly to tell you. To be with you. But I couldn't. I just couldn't _bear_ to even—I couldn't stand the idea that you might get hurt. Killed. Or worse." The faux boy's deep eyes sparkled with blue fire, sorrowful and impossibly regretful. "In the end, I couldn't. I just couldn't allow it to happen."

"Shinichi…" A tear slipped down her cheek, but the anger had vanished.

"I'm sorry," Conan continued, eyes downcast. "Those're two words that can't even fix a millionth of what you've gone through. I'd repeat them a million times," he looked straight into Ran's eyes, blue irises piercing yet softer than a morning's sky, "I'd repeat them for an eternity if I could go all the way back to that one night." By now, tears were streaming freely down Ran's cheeks. "Let me ask you a question, Ran." His voice was soft, low. "What if you were in the same situation?" A small, rueful smile whispered across his face. "What if you had the choice between deceiving the person you loved and risking her life?"

"I…"

Conan shook his head. "The person most precious to you, your world. Would you risk it all, put her in front of you? Use her as a barricade? Or would you tuck your precious treasure away, keeping it safe at all costs, even if it means keeping it in the dark? It's selfish, I know… but I can't lose you, Ran. I _can't_."

Ran opened and closed her mouth, tears trailing down her face. "I know." Her voice cracked. "I know, but it still hurts."

"It's going to," Conan admitted quietly, eyes darkening. "I'm sorry, but I'd rather you be alive and hate me than dead because of me…" he swallowed, slowly, and whispered, "But now you know – you know everything. And now you're my equal." He lifted his gaze to meet Ran's. "We're in it together until the end, Ran."

If anything, Ran cried harder. "Why are you being so kind? Why aren't you screaming back at me, justifying your reasons? I haven't an inkling of the real pain you've faced, about everything…" her voice trailed away.

Conan's brilliant blue eyes softened. "Because," he whispered, smiling gently, "because you're worth everything to me, and I don't want to hurt you anymore than I already have."

Ran buried her face into the pillow. The former teenage tantei's kindness only made it worse, strengthened the flow of tears down her face. _Why am I so stupid? He's too good for me, even if he's a troublemaker… it's just too much to take…_

Conan blinked twice, then smiled, "Now then, would you like to see the note?" There was an impish quality to his voice that made Ran laugh, albeit thinly.

Ran took the newspaper, rubbing at her eyes, then flipped to page nine. Conan watched his childhood friend read the note, biting her lip thoughtfully as she tried to figure out the note's content and meaning. By the frustrated look in her formerly tear-stained indigo eyes, Conan guessed she wasn't successful.

"Any luck?" Conan asked, sitting on the sofa next to his childhood sweetheart.

Ran shook her head slightly, tracing the lines with her fingers. Conan almost laughed at the puzzled expression on her face. _The great thing about Ran is that she bounces back so easily,_ Conan thought, a light smile on his face. _She's forgives so easily, is able to let go and continue on._

The note itself was, as usual, interestingly vague and full of puzzles. Conan's light handwriting sprawled all over the page, the pale gray lead barely visible. Ran concentrated mostly on the actual dark print.

* * *

><p>Children, adults, and others –<p>

Hear the clock chime

Introducing the _tian_

Be patient; wait for the strike of the kaitou's name

In reverse, however, the symbols flipped–

Then I will appear

At the young boy's call

Never fear, after all

The kaitou will rise at the

End of the haru and beginning of natsu

In doing so, lighting the darkened seas.

_-Kaitou KID ~doodle~_

* * *

><p>"Young boy's call…" Ran mused.<p>

"Exactly," Conan grinned proudly at his childhood friend. "And that's what I was talking about earlier, about him inviting me on purpose."

"But… it could be any young boy," Ran pointed out.

"It could…" Conan said, doubt lilting his words, "but how many little boys would call for him? And it's not the only information he gave us. Ran, spell out the first letter of each line, not including KID's signature."

"O…kay…" Ran replied, a little uncertainly. Her eyes flashed quickly down the row, and narrowed. "Wait…"

A certain, familiar gleam entered the boy's electric blue eyes. "Did you find it? KID has a special nickname for me. Either tantei-kun…"

"Or chibi-tantei…?" Ran finished questioningly. "He even put the squiggles as dashes in between the two words."

"Yeah, and we don't want to disappoint KID-sama, do we? You can accompany Sonoko-neechan… erm, I mean Sonoko. Stupid habit," he muttered quietly.

Ran giggled. "Alright, we're going to the heist."

The boy's mouth tugged into a familiar smirk. "Glad you agree, Ran."

The teenage girl tucked a lock of dark hair behind her ear, wondering how the arrogant tantei was able to change her mood and make her laugh so easily.

_How do you do it, Shinichi? Light up the entire room with your personality and understanding, no matter how stupid and prying you are?_

* * *

><p>"Well, even though you're KID's adversary, I don't think you can solve this puzzle KID's sent us as well as we can," Nakamori-san pursed his lips.<p>

"Actually," Megure-keibu raised his eyebrow, "I would take Ku-K-Conan-kun's deduction over yours."

_I can't believe I have another Hattori, _Conan sweatdropped, hearing the inspector fumble over his name.

"What?!" Nakamori started getting worked up. "How could you take a seven year old boy's opinion over mine? _I'm _in charge of KID's taskforce!" Nakamori's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why're you here anyway, Megure? This isn't your police territory. It's mine." Conan would've laughed at the possessive tone in the keibu's voice if it wasn't so annoying.

"I'm here because one of you officers requested another inspector to be present at this heist," Megure-keibu responded calmly. "Perhaps he thought you'd have a better chance with another set of eyes."

"But Kaitou KID is_ my_ area of expertise!" Nakamori pouted. "We don't need another pair of eyes!"

"And how many times have you actually been successful in capturing KID?" Conan deadpanned, the moment made all the more hilarious by his childish voice and Nakamori's purple face.

"W-why you–"

"Please just listen to my deductions, Nakamori-keibu," Conan pleaded, switching to child mode. His big blue eyes glistened hopefully behind his glasses. Unbeknownst to him, Ran was cracking her knuckles behind him, a lethal look in her glaring indigo eyes and a dark aura swirling around her.

"U-uh, s-sure thing C-conan," Nakamori stuttered.

"Great, thanks!" Conan smiled childishly. A seriousness sweeping over him, he continued, "So we know KID is stealing the Starless Sea because of the reference to the dark sea, which we assume is night time and unlit by either the moon or stars. This information is also backed up by the use of the Chinese character '_tian,_' which means 'day.' The Starless Sea comes from a long line of Chinese heiresses and heirs, plus was hidden under the _Tian an' men_ for years, hidden before the last of the descendants died in order to protect it." Sonoko's grandfather had recently bought it off the man who excavated the jewel, in hopes of drawing out KID.

Nakamori couldn't help interrupting, "We already have that figured out, along with where! It's at the museum the Starless Sea is being exhibited at, but it's going to up for display for this entire week! We want to know the time and _date_!"

"I would tell you," Conan's voice turned irritated, "if you _let me finish_."

"Listen to the boy, Nakamori," Megure warned.

"Why is everyone against me?" The keibu threw his hands up in the air, then sighed, "Fine. Continue on, boy."

"The strike of his name." Conan bit his lip. "Shinichi-neechan's father once dubbed Kaitou KID the Phantom Thief 1412, because the numbers 1412, when morphed, look like the letters KID."

"So the time is 14:12, or 2:12 PM," Nakamori cried triumphantly.

"No."

"What do you mean, _no_?" Nakamori frowned in an almost childlike pout.

"He says the pairs are reversed. The pairs would logically be 14 and 12. Since they're reversed, our new time is 12:14. The 'clock will chime, introducing the _tian_,' which is twelve o' clock AM. _Tian_ is the Chinese word for 'day,' and the 'introduction of the day' would mean midnight. We must wait for the strike of his name, which means it comes after twelve. Therefore, we can safely assume the time is 12:14 AM. That's when he plans to appear."

"Ohh, I see now," both Megure and Nakamori exclaimed simultaneously. Conan resisted the urge to facepalm.

"The traditional dates between haru, spring, and natsu, summer, are May fifth and sixth. And well, today is the fifth, so that leaves…"

"Oh!"

"Yes. Tomorrow morning, the traditional start of natsu, May 6th, is when Kaitou KID is going to appear." Conan grinned confidently. "And we're going to meet him there."

"Well, I suppose that wraps things up," Nakamori declared pompously, standing up. "Although I still don't understand the part about the call of the young boy." He shot Conan a suspicious look.

"A-ah, well that was probably because I'd been dubbed KID's adversary, so he wanted me to be there to challenge him?" Conan waved his hands vaguely. "It's not that important, Nakamori-keibu; we've already got the important parts."

"True," Nakamori muttered. "But that line and the poetry in this note bothers me a little. Usually KID doesn't write in such awkward stanzas."

Conan ducked to hide his face and half-smirk.

_That's because KID usually doesn't privately invite little chibis to his heists._

* * *

><p>The ivory-clad thief stood on a roof, arms thrown out and cape fluttering behind him. It wasn't quite twelve yet, but the night was velvet and the moon luminous. He wanted to come out a little earlier tonight. Besides, he had a fond little habit of introducing himself to the city before his heist truly started.<p>

A wide, razor-sharp grin glittered on his face. "Ladies and gentlemen!" he clarioned, sweeping the expanse of the brightly lit city with a gloved hand. It didn't matter that no one could hear or see him. It was him and the city. A crisp click and twelve chimes introduced the sixth of May. Tugging his white top hat lower, over his gleaming monocle, he murmured, "And the fun begins." The crystal-shard grin remained on his face as he threw himself off the roof, spiraling tightly before flicking out his glider.

When he landed, soft as a cat, he swapped his clothes with a casual disguise. Slipping out of the alley like a liquid shadow, the thief stopped in front of the cream pillars at the entrance of the museum. Allowing his smile to slip into a looser, friendlier expression, he strolled right on in, like he owned the place.

He _did_ own the place—at least for tonight.

* * *

><p>"Ow!" cried Conan, clutching at his cheek. He glared daggers at the keibu in front of him, who was pacing and grabbing at everyone's cheeks. Storming right up to him, he kicked Nakamori in the shins (<em>hard<em>) and smirked in satisfaction as the man howled and clutched at his knee.

"What was _that_ for, you upstart brat?!"

Shooting the keibu an evil look, the faux boy took hold of the other man's cheek and twisted it as hard as he could. "You too, Nakamori-keibu. We wouldn't want KID to be hiding as our very own taskforce keibu!" He smiled a syrupy, poisonous smile.

Nakamori stalked away, clutching at his injured skin and muttering about evil children and stupid moonlit thieves. Conan sighed, looking at the huge sapphire resting inside a bed of plush velvet. Encasing it was a complex security system along with a thick bulletproof casing. A wall of black-clad bodyguards surrounded the case. He wondered, idly, if they really thought that these meager obstacles would hinder KID.

"It's twelve!" someone cried. Immediately, Conan snapped alert._ Only fourteen minutes to go_.

He pulled out a small box of extra tranquilizer needles. While he was unconscious, Agasa-hakase had made quite a few adjustments all his equipment. (Haibara told him it was because he was sick out of his mind with worry and had nothing better to do. And something about being guilty that his tools had failed him…?) His stretchy suspenders had been lengthened significantly, his belt stocked with extra soccer balls that would stay inflated even after he'd used them, his bowtie covering a wider range of decibels and dialects and even a couple of languages. His solar-powered skateboard could store up to seven hours of energy now, and his glasses were re-crafted with bulletproof lenses (as with the Rasputin case, you never know) with all sorts of new, nifty abilities. As for his sneakers… well, he hadn't found any fascinating advancements besides the fact that they were strangely comfortable.

His watch could now hold multiple tranquilizer needles, so he'd brought an extra box to load in. When no one was looking, he deftly emptied the needles into the cache on his watch and clicked the glass face back on. Collapsing the small cardboard box, he tucked it in his pocket.

"Game on," he muttered, blue eyes sparking and a similar smirk curling his lips.

* * *

><p>The phantom thief slipped in and out of disguises quickly, mingling with the crowd and easily making his way right up to the front.<p>

"Get ready!" thundered Nakamori. KID grinned—he could always count on the keibu to tell him when the show was supposed to start. On cue, the man yelled, "It's time! He'll appear any second now!"

Eyes shadowed, the thief snapped his fingers crisply. A pale blue mist swept into the room, cloaking everyone in sight. When it cleared out, KID stood on top of the glass case.

"What happened to the alarms?!" bellowed Jirokichi.

"KID-sama!" screamed the general public.

Kaitou KID spared a few seconds to locate his favorite tantei. The boy was rolling his blue eyes, exasperated. He had an _I-told-you-so_ look on his face.

"Konnichiwa!" he broadcasted. "My fans, my lovely taskforce, and especially my favorite critics!"

"Get him!" screamed Nakamori, purple-faced. "Don't let him get away!"

"Typical," Conan muttered. "Idiots."

"Now now," the thief cried, effortlessly dodging each thick bodyguard's swipes and the crazed police lunges. Wounded, he complained, "What kind of welcome is this? I thought—" he was abruptly cut off as a hexagonal patterned ball rocketed his way and he was forced to dodge.

"KID-sama!" shrilled a brunette in the crowd, dressed fashionably and her hair cut shoulder length. "I LOVE YOU!"

Imperceptibly, the thief shuddered. _Lovely_, he spared a second to think. "Now, Nakamori-san," he taunted. "Oji-san, too. It's never right to imprison a lady against her will." Meanwhile, he swiftly dodged the black-clad bodyguards. With an unimpressed snap of his fingers, their outfits changed. Half fled in embarrassment, pulling down their blinding hot-pink tutus, but the other half doggedly attacked him. "This is no way to treat a lady!" KID repeated, gesturing towards the glass case.

"What lady?!" shrieked Nakamori.

"The jewel, keibu!" Conan shouted, annoyed. "He's talking about the jewel!"

"Thank you, tantei-kun." KID tipped his hat slightly towards the boy. "But Nakamori-san, you don't seem the type to cage a lady, so why lock one away from the light of the moon?" He kicked away one guard, and sprayed the rest with sleeping gas.

"Damnit KID, she's—I mean _it's_—my own sapphire!" Jirokichi roared at him, clearly above the crowd's din. "You can't say it's against her will or whatever ridiculous thing you're sprouting!"

"Ah, but you have placed her behind a glass prison, only to sparkle forlornly. Though she smiles now, when finally released under the light of the moon, perhaps she will weep. At last, she will be free." KID's monocle gleamed mysteriously, and at last he stood still, above the case.

"What the _hell_ are you babbling?!" Nakamori screamed. "You don't make any sense!"

Conan looked stunned. Haibara had told him something before about this. Something about a red jewel that would cry immortal tears under the moonlight. The organization was after it. What was its name? The name of the jewel…

_Pandora._

It hit him, suddenly. Did that mean KID was one of them? Conan looked stricken at the thought. _It can't be._ White, black. He gritted his teeth in determination. Tonight, he _had_ to capture KID. He sensed a lead.

"What if she doesn't want to be freed, KID?!" Conan shouted at the phantom thief. "What if she doesn't want to be found and rescued?"

KID pinned him with a sharp look, unreadable. His razor-grin grew sharper. "But she does, tantei-kun. She has already been found." He tossed the large jewel up into the air, so that the sapphire caught the light and winked tantalizingly at everyone.

"Kuso!" the boy cursed. Rapping his head once in annoyance (he'd been suckered into KID's plan as well) he raced forward. While the thief was talking to everyone, he'd managed to snag the jewel.

Everyone's eyes were focused on the glimmering arc the jewel made through the air, and the thief let out a laugh. "Farewell, my taskforce. I apologize for the small show, but I must be on my way. Sayonara!" He leapt into the air, caught the Starless Sea neatly, and disappeared into a cloud of pale amethyst. Before he left, he slipped through the crowd and dressed several people up as him. _Enjoy yourselves,_ he grinned, silently dashing up the steps to the roof before the purple smoke dissipated.

"KID!" a girl shrieked. "I've found you!"

All across the room, teenage girls were screaming and discovering the poor fellows he'd disguised as himself. The kaitou smiled to himself. While the taskforce was busy, he expected his favorite tantei to follow him up to the roof. _Glad you could make it today,_ he thought to himself. _I apologize for the lack of theatrics, but this _was_ a spur of the moment heist. _

Of course, the thief arrived first. But he barely had time to take a few steps into the crisp night air and hold up the jewel before the younger boy burst through the doors.

"KID." The boy was breathing hard, and he had a suspicious gleam in his cobalt eyes.

The thief made no answer, holding up the sapphire jewel towards the pearlescent moon. Its milky light spilled through the gem, making it glow softly, but no red gem revealed itself. KID sighed. _Another dead end._

"Why hello, tantei-kun," he greeted the boy. Pulling his top hat lower, he faced his rival. "Glad you could make it."

"I couldn't very well refuse your invitation, could I?" Conan replied easily, locking his intense blue eyes onto the thief's. "Although I _was_ a bit disappointed today."

The kaitou couldn't help but laugh. "I realize that it might not have been as interesting as my other heists, tantei-kun, and I apologize for that. I cooked up the whole heist yesterday morning and sent the notice before noon. Perhaps next time?"

Conan rolled his eyes. "There might not be a next time." Halfway through the sentence, he unleashed a barrage of tranq needles from his watch. As KID was dodging them, he inflated several soccer balls and kicked them in quick succession, from various positions.

Needless to say, not a single projectile hit the thief. "I'm wounded, tantei-kun, that you would stoop so low." His mouth curved slightly downward as he realized his back was to the doorway now, not the roof edge.

The boy's blue eyes were hard and steely. "There's more at stake tonight, KID." In a flash his sneaker dial was cranked up and he shot towards the kaitou, shooting needles and darting all over the place.

Perhaps it was because he wasn't expecting the child tantei to be so determined—but the white-clad thief found himself straining to dodge all of the boy's attacks. At such high speeds, he was afraid of pulling out the card gun in fear of actually harming Conan.

The police were drawing nearer, though. KID could feel it. Dense as he was, Nakamori wouldn't be caught up in the fakes for too long. Sweating now, the moonlit thief pulled out his card gun. In that moment, a needle hit the glove on his hand.

Both seemed to freeze for a moment.

When KID didn't fall unconscious to the floor, he rapidly fired two cards at the boy. To his surprise, Conan didn't so much as blink. He didn't dodge, either. Allowing both cards to rake parallel scores across his cheek, he sneaker-flashed right up to the thief and rapid-fire attacked him.

When KID saw the gashes leaking blood from the boy's cheek, he faltered slightly. He didn't want to _hurt_ tantei-kun.

A cold, sad smile flickered across the faux boy's lips. "Game over," he whispered. His tranq needle hit the white-clad thief on the neck, and another hit his forehead just to be safe.

It was a mere second before the kaitou collapsed fluidly onto the ground. His eyes fluttered slightly, and he smiled a small, rueful smile.

"Gomen'nasai," Conan murmured, blue eyes guilty. He shot the thief twice more before his eyes closed for good.

* * *

><p>"Oi, Ai-kun?" the hakase called. "Did you take my box of tranquilizer needles?"<p>

The shrunken scientist padded silently into the room. "No," she replied. Her sapphire eyes narrowed. "If anyone took your box, it must have been Edogawa-kun. Why? The needles were made for his watch anyway. Were they not finished?"

"The batch that's missing is the failure," the hakase replied, trouble creasing his brow. "The finished ones were in another drawer, but they're still here."

"Which means it was definitely Edogawa who took them."

"That's not good," the hakase fretted. "I hope he doesn't use them… those were the needles I was tinkering around with. They end up inducing high fevers and delirium, especially if the victim is shot too many times…"

Haibara's deep eyes flickered for a moment. A second later, a short laugh escaped her. "Edogawa-kun's at the KID heist tonight."

The professor's eyes widened, and then he hit his head with his palm. "This is not going to end well," he muttered.

Haibara couldn't agree more. "I suggest you clear out the guest room," she advised the old man. "Also, get your invention stuff of the couch. I think we might have an unexpected visitor tonight." A wry smile twisted her lips. "A visitor clad in white."

* * *

><p>Something was wrong. KID was passed out, yes, but he was sweating. Excessively. He had begun murmuring incoherently and when Conan pressed his forehead to the thief's, it was burning.<p>

"What going on?" Conan muttered to himself, worrying.

When he heard the pound of footsteps faintly below, though, the urgency grew inside of him. He couldn't have KID caught now—not only would he lose his lead to prison, but the thief had been nothing but chivalrous and didn't deserve to be imprisoned in such a manner. Besides, the kaitou was running a high fever…

_Ping_. His phone sounded. Impatiently, he flicked through the message, and expelled a sharp burst of air.

_/_

_Edogawa-kun. I'm assuming you foolishly sedated KID with the wrong darts. He should be running a fever; bring him to the hakase's home. We'll be waiting for you. Hurry._

/

KID, beside him, let out a brief cry of pain, eyes flying open. Conan tensed, but the thief's eyes were blank and unseeing.

"This is bad." Conan pressed his fingers to his temples, then picked up the thief's heavy body. Sighing, he murmured, "Well, KID, looks like I'll be helping you escape tonight."

* * *

><p>Hmmmm… wonder what'll happen to KID? D'yu think Conan will take advantage of the situation and reveal Kaito? Or will our theif-chan escape before Conan can even interrogate him?<p>

More importantly, will they become allies? O: I guess you'll have to see, minna-san! (I'll be slowly writing the next chapter, but do keep in mind reviews always motivate me ^^)


	13. The Gamble of Secrets

**A/N: **So I decided I wanted to end the chapter early—so you guys get a snippet of a chapter (hey it's not bad—some pretty important stuff goes down) and I get to work on more stuff.

Think about it this way. Even though the chapters might be shorter, I'll probably update faster.

Probably C:

-Icie911

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Gamble of Secrets<em>**

* * *

><p><em>This is a game meant for two.<em>

* * *

><p>KID murmured incoherently, tossing and turning. His head <em>hurt<em>. He felt like he was on fire and being dunked in liquid ice at the same time. It burned through every fiber and vein of his existence, and _damn it hurt_! Words slipped through his lips and he felt like he was melting and choking and a hell lot of other pain he couldn't describe. Wryly, he spared a morsel of energy to think, _It feels like Akako has cursed me._ But thinking stretched his brain thin and sent aches and shudders rippling through his body, so he slid back into delirium.

Someone slipped something between his lips. A pill. Was someone trying to _poison_ him? He already felt like he was dying, and besides—his throat was too sand-dry to swallow.

Cool, delicious water trickled into his mouth. Subconsciously, KID felt the pill move down his throat, but he didn't care about anything more than the water. It was a beautiful feeling, letting the liquid stream of water pass through his cracked lips.

He slid back into delirium once more.

When he roused himself from the blackness, he felt infinitely weary and achy. He tried cracking open his eyes, but the light was too bright and the colors too sharp, so he sank back into blessed darkness. He _did_ notice the voices, now. There was a familiar boy's voice, a girl's, and an elderly person's. KID caught faint, nearly indecipherable snippets of their conversation.

"Baka…_him_…to do…lead?! …_them_…"

"…he…okay?"

"…worry, Haibara told…prepared…"

"Don't want him…hurt…"

The words were getting clearer, and he seemed to recognize that young child's voice. A male. _Tantei…kun…_ The world was blurry and unclear.

The girl hissed, "Hush! …waking…talk later!"

KID imagined Tantei-kun frowning slightly. "…trust him… don't think he'll…"

The old man interjected, "But he's…_thief_! …could escape… sure, Shinichi?"

The thief furrowed his brow. _Shinichi…?_ That didn't seem right. But he was so groggy and disconcerted he most likely heard wrong. Falling back asleep, he hoped the world would be clearer after some rest.

* * *

><p>"Baka, to do such a stupid thing to <em>him<em>, a phantom thief we know nothing about! What are you going to do? You think it's a lead?! It might attract _them_…" Haibara stormed, pacing around and shouting at Conan.

"Shh, not so loud," Conan hushed, sending a blue-eyed glare at Haibara. "Don't wake him up." The thief was pale and mussed up, looking sick enough to be dead. "Is he going to be okay?"

"Don't worry," the hakase reassured. "Haibara told me this was probably going to happen. I prepared a countering 'antidote' and got everything ready."

"Okay." Conan sighed slightly, looking guilty. "I just don't want him to get hurt because of something stupid I did."

KID stirred on the couch, murmuring feverishly again. Conan lowered his voice so that he could continue talking, but Haibara paled considerably, kicking Conan in the shins. Muffling his cry of pain, he glared at the girl.

"Hush!" she snapped, cerulean eyes narrowed and intensely suspicious. "He's waking up now. We'll talk later!"

Conan scowled. "I trust him, okay? Calm down. I think he might be an ally. I don't think he'll do anything to hurt us."

This time, it was the hakase who frowned worriedly. "But he's a _thief_! He could escape at any time he wanted to, and we would all be in immense danger. Are you sure, Shinichi?"

"Just trust me," Conan sighed. He didn't think it was possible KID would hurt them. "Besides, he's in no condition to run or escape. Let's make sure he's perfectly well again before we try and interrogate him."

"Perhaps not _perfectly_ well," Haibara muttered darkly. "Or he might slip through our fingers faster than quicksilver."

* * *

><p>KID supposed he was surprised when he realized that, though they had cleaned him up, his monocle and his hat (a tad squashed) were still in place. His clothes <em>had<em> been changed (he supposed he had sweated a lot) but his old clothing was folded neatly and a quick inspection showed that nothing had been removed.

So Tantei-kun was an honest person, or at least he wanted the thief to trust him.

KID narrowed his eyes. Originally, he _did_ somewhat trust the boy, but—

But. That look in his blue eyes before he'd blacked out.

That was a dangerous look.

He trusted the child, really. Of course, he was suspiciously mature and had a lot of mystery surrounding him, but still. He respected the boy's privacy and the boy respected his. Conan had never tried to unmask him unjustly, and he never tried to catch KID unless it was because the thief had stolen something. In return, the thief had never bothered to find out the mystery behind his favorite critic's glasses and bright blue eyes.

He would hear Conan out, he decided. There was something in the way his blue eyes had looked—caged, desperate—that made him want to know. Want to know why such a young boy would go so far as to capture him yet not lock him up. He wanted to know why Tantei-kun wanted _his_ trust. He wanted, now, to know the secrets behind Edogawa Conan. And besides, Conan hadn't taken advantage of his unconsciousness to figure out his identity, as far as he could tell.

Nonetheless, he scanned for an exit. As soon as he could walk without swaying and spots dancing around his vision, he'd secretly scout for exits. Emergency exits. He _did_ prepare a couple of gadgets and knickknacks, and a plan for escape. He pretended, most of the time, to still be ill.

Because he couldn't be too sure how _much_ he could trust Tantei-kun right now.

* * *

><p>A girl with dark red hair knocked on the wooden door. After a moment or two, it creaked open to reveal an older woman with dark hair and worried violet eyes.<p>

"My name is Koizumi Akako. I'm one of Kuroba-kun's classmates. You are Kuroba Chikage?" The girl's dark violet-red eyes glimmered.

"Yes, I'm Kaito's mother. I'm afraid he isn't home at the moment—" Chikage bowed apologetically, a shadow of worry in her eyes giving her away.

"I can tell you about Kuroba-kun's condition," Akako cut in, briskly. "Or rather, I can give you some details, but I suggest you not search for him and simply let him come home of his own accord."

Chikage's eyes widened in the slightest, but she didn't question her. "I think you may want to come inside, Koizumi-kun."

Inside, Chikage offered Akako a seat. As she began to prepare tea, the girl abruptly ordered, "Don't. I'll be going soon, I'm just here to alleviate your worries about your son."

Chikage sat. "You are aware Kaito's been missing for a while, correct? Since…" She hesitated, not sure of what quite to say.

"Since his latest heist," Akako finished, voice flat. "He disappeared suddenly from his own heist and hasn't been back since."

Chikage raised her eyebrows. A child who knew her son's nighttime identity. Interesting. "That's correct," she confirmed. "It's been only a day, but I'm worried that they've gotten to him…"

Akako stood up. "He's fine. Your dove…he's been captured by a dark crow. Not the wolves you are fearing. But the crow…he is facing a darkness, the same one your dove is. If it goes well, they'll be facing it together, but they haven't yet realized they share an enemy. He will be home before long, to inform you of this, but a long struggle awaits afterwards. If they are to escape their cages of darkness, they will have to fight much together." Without another word, she swept out, reddish hair tossed behind her.

After quickly standing to escort the girl out, Chikage sat, nursing a cup of tea. "A dark crow…" she mused to herself. "And a cage of darkness. Oh, Kaito. What's going on?"

* * *

><p>It was rather weird, Conan mused, to see the thief dressed in Kudo Shinichi's clothes with his monocle and hat still on. Sort of… disconcerting. But he supposed this was really not the time to be appraising KID's outfit, although KID seemed to be raking quite a steely glare down Conan's figure as well. They sat opposite to each other, on the hakase's cream sofas.<p>

"Oh for kami's sake," snapped Haibara. "You two make me feel like we're in a soap opera. Stop glaring at each other and start talking, before I end up tossing you both in the streets."

Conan muttered under his breath, "Touchy."

Haibara snorted ungraciously and rolled her eyes. "I'll be in my lab. Don't do anything stupid, Edogawa-kun." She spun on her heel and left.

A long, uncomfortable silence stretched,

"So, Tantei-kun, would you care to start?" KID broke the silence, indigo eyes electric.

Conan sighed, running his fingers through his already messy hair. His blue eyes were weary, almost sad. "Not in particular, KID."

"I notice you haven't tried to unmask me. Is there a reason you haven't handed me to Nakamori while I was out cold?"

Conan looked mildly surprised and slightly offended. "You think I would do that? It _was_ my fault you ended up sick instead of just tranquilized, so it was only natural to nurse you back to health before even trying to talk to you. Forget trying to figure out your identity or handing you over to that buffoon of a keibu."

KID couldn't help it—his Poker Face slipped a bit and he let out a snort. "Buffoon?"

Conan looked slightly abashed. "He _is_ rather… impulsive at times. And hot-headed. And loud. And he never learns. But he's a decent man, I suppose. A lot like Kogoro," he muttered quietly.

The thief's Poker Face fell back into place and he repeated, "So is there a reason you want my trust, Tantei-kun? I could leave right now. You haven't even bound me. So why? Why the trust?"

Conan pinched the bridge of nose and sighed again, long and strained. "When you were stealing that jewel… the Starless Sea. You mentioned another gem. One that weeps under the full moon."

KID's face never moved. "Figurative language, Tantei-kun. I always talk fancy at my heists."

Conan hesitated, as if not sure how to continue. "Haibara's told me about a jewel someone we… know… seems to be after. A red jewel that sheds tears of immortality when exposed to the full moon." His piercing blue eyes were suddenly fierce, locking onto the thief's. "My instincts are never wrong, KID. You weren't simply talking fancy when you mentioned a weeping jewel."

KID's eyes narrowed a fraction. "And if I wasn't? Don't get involved in my business, Tantei-kun. You'll only get hurt." The thief raised an eyebrow when the boy let out a short, mirthless laugh. "Is there something funny about that, Tantei-kun?"

"No. Nothing funny. I just can't imagine a situation more dangerous than I'm already in," Conan replied, his own Poker Face finally settling on his fragile, childish features. The calm light in his blue eyes sent a faint shiver down KID's back. He looked as a man does when he's accepted death—serene and all-knowing. Ready to shatter without a complaint.

"A situation more dangerous than one you're currently in. And why is that?" KID asked quietly, not sure he wanted to hear the boy's response.

Those eyes. Those blue eyes kept KID locked in, never moving yet endlessly tumbling with secrets. "You're not the only one with a secret identity," Conan answered softly. "Don't tell me you've never wondered about me—my strange name, sudden appearance, and intellect far beyond my age. You're not the only one with secrets, KID."

A flash of an emotion flickered in KID's eyes, and then faint smirk twirled around his lips. "So are we making a deal, Tantei-kun? My secrets for yours?"

Conan pinned him down with those eyes, leaning back in his seat. "That's up to you to decide," he said simply.

A whisper of a silence was spun between the two.

Violet eyes.

Blue.

A razor-sharp grin appeared on the thief's face as he reached for his monocle. "You've intrigued me, Tantei-kun." He removed the glass eyepiece, and then reached for his hat as well. "I suppose we can call it a deal, our gamble of secrets."


	14. Stories and Drugged Tea

**A/N:** HAH I AM ON A _ROLL_. I think. Anyways, August is gonna be a pretty busy time of month for me, so if I don't update often, gomen'nasai!

Oh yeah, Agasa may be a little OOC. And maybe Kaito. I dunno /scratches head, puzzled/ but yeah. Enjoy, minna-san~

-Icie911

* * *

><p><strong><em>Stories and Drugged Tea<em>**

* * *

><p><em>My stories for yours, KID.<em>

_. . ._

_But who first, Tantei-kun?_

* * *

><p>Conan blinked twice and rubbed at his eyes. KID without his costume looked surprisingly… like his teenage self. He narrowed his eyes slightly. There were a few differences—namely, the thief's eye color. KID's dark locks were also messier than Shinichi's had been, and lacking the tantei's identifying cowlick.<p>

"Kuroba Kaito, magician," KID swept into a bow, "at your service."

A faint smirk tugged at the edges of Conan's mouth. "Kudo Shinichi," he removed his glasses and ran a finger through his hair, "pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Well, this is a pretty mess you've gotten yourself into," Kaito remarked, indigo eyes sparking with curiosity. "High school detective, eh?"

A wry smile flitted across Conan's features. "Primary school detective, nowadays. It's a long story."

"Then why don't I start?" Kaito remarked, settling back onto the couch. "Mine isn't that long."

* * *

><p><em>Once upon a time, there was a gallant thief. Charming and quick-witted, he dressed in pure white. The phantom thief was honest and he was seeking a beautiful scarlet jewel that hid inside a larger gemstone. It was said to weep tears of immortality under the full moon, and any man that drank the jewel's tears would become immortal himself.<em>

_ He was not seeking the jewel for his own purposes. A sinister, dark force was also desperately searching for this legendary jewel. The phantom thief, for years, searched for this jewel in an attempt to destroy it before the darkness could claim it. He always returned the jewels he stole, as they never harbored the red gem he wished to find. The thief never failed to entertain his fans with his magic skills, and his heists always attracted attention to the jewels he stole and their owners. In a way, he was helping them with publicity. This game went on for a decade, before the darkness discovered his true intentions._

_They could not have someone so determined seeking to destroy their precious jewel._

_So they killed the gallant thief in ivory, and vanished into the darkness._

_ Stories of the phantom's mysterious disappearance spun wildly, but as the years passed, so did his legacy. Soon, the thief was merely a fabricated story of the past. No one connected the accidental stage death of Kuroba Toichi, the famous magician, to the disappearance of the thief. No one suspected the phantom could've been killed. No one guessed his true intentions._

_But._

_The phantom thief had a son._

_ A son who had a passion for magic as strong as his late father's, a boy who was a mere toddler when his father had been killed. A boy who didn't know of his father's nighttime identity. As the years passed after his father's death, the boy grew into a young man. With his father's eyes and mischief, he dipped his hands deeply into the arts of magic and entertainment._

_ One day, the phantom thief mysteriously returned. The fans and media went wild. Two heists later, the son stumbled into a secret room in his house. Inside, he found garments of pure white and a portrait of a certain phantom thief. He was confused. His father, a thief? It would explain the disappearance of the phantom when his father died. But it didn't answer the sudden reappearance of the kaitou. Someone was impersonating his father._

_ So he revived the true thief himself for one night, to place himself in his father's shoes one last time and find the man pretending to be the thief. He met the other thief and had a battle of tricks with him, easily winning. Much to his surprise, the other man ripped off his monocle and hat, revealing himself as the previous phantom's assistant, a man quite familiar to the young man. He fell at the son's feet, crying that he had thought him dead. It was a moment before the son realized the assistant thought he was his father._

_ That night, he learned much more about his father's late night identity than he bargained for. The elderly assistant, whom he called Jii-chan, had babbled that he was dressing as the original thief to lure out his supposed murderers. It was that night that the son discovered the truth behind his father's stage death. And it was that night that he took over his father's legacy, much to the old assistant's dismay. The son wanted to lure out the murderers as much as the assistant had, if not more._

_ It wasn't until a few heists later and the increasing popularity of the new thief that the son gained his first pearl of information about his father's murderers. A man donned in pitch black appeared at the end of his heist. The man, codenamed Snake, was convinced he'd already killed the phantom thief and was almost spooked at his reappearance. The son gave no indication that he was or was not the original thief, and managed to escape unscathed._

_ It was later when he found out about the red jewel. And it was then that the young thief decided although he knew the truth behind his Tou-san's murder, he had to continue the search for the jewel. He would not let his father's death be in vain. He would find the jewel and destroy it, and only then could the phantom thief disappear into the night._

_And thus, the Phantom Thief Kid, Kaitou 1412, was reborn._

_He would avenge his father._

_Even if the cost was his own life._

* * *

><p>Kaito's violet eyes had darkened considerably as he'd told his story, fingers twisting around his monocle and fingering his white hat. Conan sat in silence, absorbing everything, blue eyes dark.<p>

"Not that short of a story," the younger boy finally commented. His blue eyes softened for a fraction of a moment. "I'm sorry about your Tou-san." _Kuroba Toichi_, the boy mused to himself. _Otou-san knew him… didn't he?_

"It's been more than eight years." Kaito shrugged, Poker Face clenched hard around his face. "If I'd gotten anyone involved, they would be in danger. So the phantom thief is my secret alone."

Conan sighed, rubbing his temples. "When I'd first realized you had an organization as well, I thought ours might be the same. But," Conan's eyes darkened, "I'm not so sure anymore."

"And why not?"

"Well, for one," Conan ticked on his fingers, "your organization members seem to have predator codenames. The Black Organization we deal with uses alcoholic codenames. But mostly," Conan bit his lip slightly, "I'm having doubts because I think if we had the same organization, you would be dead already."

"Oh?" Kaito raised an eyebrow.

"Gin would never be so careless," Conan murmured thoughtfully. "At least, he wouldn't have been so careless before the BO killed him. If he knew that your father was Kaitou KID and that was confirmed by their dual disappearances, he would've killed you and your mother immediately. He wouldn't have let you two slip by unnoticed, because there was too much danger in letting you live. He also would've found that secret room and destroyed it. Where was it hidden?" The faux boy suddenly looked up, questioning the thief.

"Behind a painting of my father in my room," Kaito replied slowly.

"Too obvious," Conan muttered quickly, blue eyes flickering with thoughts. "Even if he didn't find it, he would've destroyed your home after killing you, as a precaution. Or maybe killed you while destroying the house. Anyone connected to your father would've been killed, and all electronic devices wiped. All strategically accidental, of course. That assistant of yours—Konosuke Jii, was it? He would most likely be captured and tortured for information. After they used him, they'd dispose of him and possible any people who knew him as well. This would all be over less than two years after your father's death. Yet, here you are."

Kaito's violet eyes grew hard and cold. "Your organization seems to be a nasty one. Perhaps you should tell your own story before going on?"

Conan sighed for the umpteenth time that night. Pressing his temples, he took a breath. "I suppose so."

* * *

><p><em>Once upon a time, there was a high school detective. His father was a famous author and his mother a widely-known actress. He had a perfect life—a childhood sweetheart and sharp wits and famous parents and a large mansion. The detective was always in the newspapers, dubbed the savior of the police force and the Great Detective of the East. He played violin and soccer like a professional and his idol was Sherlock Holmes. He had high marks in school and was quite popular.<em>

_ But the detective would be lying if he said he thought his life was perfect. He rarely saw his mother or father, as they left him alone in the huge mansion and travelled overseas since he was fourteen. He was adored by people who didn't even know him and really had only a couple of friends. The high school boy would be lying if he told you he wasn't even the slightest bit lonely. But he had his childhood friend and the thrill of cases, so he didn't dwell upon his loneliness much._

_ One night, he took his childhood friend to an amusement park. Someone was murdered on the mystery coaster, and the detective solved it with ease. But the damage was done, and the girl was shaken and crying at the bloody scene they'd witnessed. The high school detective really should've just stayed with her and comforted her, but he saw a man in black slip around a corner, shady and extremely suspicious-looking. Two men in black had been on his coaster when the murder happened, and although they weren't the murderers, the tall one had the ice-cold eyes of a heartless beast. The stockier one was the one he saw, but his detective senses were tingling with unease. It was later that he discovered their names—Gin, the tall one, and Vodka._

_ The tantei made his decision—to follow those two shady men. He told his friend to go home and not follow him. 'Don't worry!' he had shouted at her, grinning reassuringly. 'I'll catch up to you later!' _

_He would regret those words for the rest of his life._

_ He found the man blackmailing another businessman. He didn't notice the taller man in black sneaking up behind him, and he was smacked upside the head with a metal pipe. The detective fell to the ground, dark blood seeping out of the wound and into the emerald blades of grass. The tall one fed him an untested poison, a capsule, and made him swallow it with water. They left him to die._

_ It wasn't bad at first. A mild burning coiled in the core of his being, twisting and snaking around. But the pain grew sharper and hotter and shot his body with an endless flow of ice-hot spears. His bones shifted and cracked and melted and his brain flared into hotness rivaling that of a thousand young suns. The detective couldn't even muster the strength to scream, and each breath caused rippling pain to flicker through his body. Finally, he was enveloped by a blissful darkness. Nothingness._

_ When he awoke, his brain was foggy and unclear. He was alive? He had no time to think, though, because two police officers found him at that moment. They called him 'kid' and lifted him high up, saying they would send him to the daycare. His clothes were suddenly far too large for him and the world seemed… bigger. It wasn't until he faced his reflection that the detective finally hit reality._

_He was no longer a high schooler._

_ A long stretch of confusion ensued afterwards. He managed to convince his neighbor and close friend, Agasa Hiroshi, that he was really Kudo Shinichi. The older man convinced the now primary school child that if he told a single soul about his existence, the men would come back for him and kill anyone who knew as well._

_ But the tantei had forgotten about one factor—his childhood friend. She, who had been deserted rather alarmingly by the detective, came searching for him. Since her father was a detective as well (a bumbling one, at that), the boy quickly pushed on a pair of glasses as a disguise and went to live with her. When pressed for a name, he quickly pulled up Edogawa Conan, from Edogawa Rampo and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle._

_ Much to the faux boy's despair, his sweetheart's father was so much of a fool he rarely had a client and the father and daughter were barely scraping by. He took matters into his own hands, eventually, and made the Sleeping Kogoro. Using Agasa-hakase's nifty inventions, he knocked the older man out with a tranq needle from his watch and impersonated his voice with his bowtie. As time went on, the Sleeping Kogoro grew famous, along with the foolish Kogoro's pride. Cases poured in, but there was no luck on the men in black._

_ One particular day, a cold little female transferred into the detective's elementary school class. Haibara Ai, she was called, and she had ice-blue eyes and a mannerism to match it. She revealed herself as Sherry, the scientist who'd made APTX 4869. The organization had killed her sister and she'd taken her own capsule poison in order to escape. To her surprise, she shrunk and managed to slip away alive. With no place to turn, she turned up at the detective's door. She knew that he had shrunk from her poison, though she told the organization his death was confirmed in a strange act of kindness._

_It was a while before she gained the detective's trust. But once it happened, the two were a formidable duo, but in much danger. Though the organization thought Kudo Shinichi to be dead, they knew their precious scientist was not. Furthermore, they knew how she looked when she was young, so although they were looking for an eighteen-year-old, they would know what happened immediately if they saw the shrunken girl._

_From that moment on, the scientist formulated temporary antidotes to test on the detective. It was immensely painful to turn back into a teenager and then a child, but the detective bore it willingly. He craved his old life back, naïve and carefree. More than all of that, he craved to go back to his sweetheart. It broke his heart, seeing her cry over his disappearance and long absences when he was right next to her. But he said not a single word, because he would rather have her heartbroken than dead._

_A year passed, and life became increasingly difficult. The detective's sweetheart began to suspect the young boy and her crush to be one and the same, and it made his heart break each time he had to deceive her for her safety. It hurt him more than the body changes to see her trying to be brave for her 'little brother' and not cry. Too many people now knew his secret. An FBI agent, Akai Shuuichi. A kansai detective, Hattori Heiji. An organization member and undercover CIA agent's brother, Hondou Eisuke. A mysterious organization member, Vermouth. His mother and father. Too many more suspected it. _

_His reputation as a young detective also built up far too quickly. One random serial murderer already knew all about his gadgets, and managed to even disable them all. He nearly killed the boy detective, and left him there to die. Eventually the killer was caught by the police, but by then the boy was already neck-deep in trouble. The organization had found out that in some strange malfunction, Kudo Shinichi had in fact shrunk. Edogawa Conan and Kudo Shinichi's DNA matched almost perfectly and the timing matched up. And they also knew about their little scientist, whom Gin wished to kill with a fiery passion._

_The boy was poisoned by the silver-haired assassin—Gin. He was forced to take the same poison he had one year earlier, and was found near-dead in the morning. Luckily for him, the scientist had gone to visit him and managed to save him. She had finally concocted the perfect antidote—the one that was supposed to turn the boy back into a teenager. But in a desperate last moment lunge, she used it to save his life instead. He would never be able to use the antidote again, but his life had been saved._

_But it only grew worse from there. The child woke up to amnesia. Retrograde amnesia. For a dangerous period of time, he knew not of the danger of the organization in black, nor his double identity. His sweetheart had been told of his identity already, and the boy was surrounded by those who knew him as Kudo Shinichi. Yet, he remained a guileless child. And one dangerous newspaper splash of his survival set off a terrible series of event that could only lead to an ending of blood._

_Due to his failure to kill the young detective a second time, the silver-haired assassin's mentality broke. He had never failed at killing a victim before, let alone the same one twice. The leader of the organization condemned him to death. _

_But Gin escaped their clutches. He desperately stumbled towards the amnesiac child, filled with nothing but rage and contempt. He _would_ kill the child. If it was the last thing he did._

_It was a bloody encounter. The shock of seeing the silver-haired man in his room brought all the young boy's memories back. But it was a slow, horrifically slow process. He was drowning in the tidal waves of memory while the assassin took aim at his heart. And fired._

_By an unbelievable stroke of luck, he did not die. The scientist had saved him, taken the bullet for him. And just when it all seemed ready to collapse, for everyone was bloodied and unconscious besides him, an unarmed boy, and the former assassin, another stroke of luck came to him. The organization arrived in time to kill Gin, but not before the silver-haired man left a chilling warning. He had one last devastating ace up his sleeve, but wouldn't reveal it. 'I'll be laughing in hell,' he snarled as the feral light died in his eyes._

_But even so, the death of the horrific silver assassin did nothing to comfort the duo. They knew that now the organization had disposed of Gin, they two would be the next targets. And everyone—everyone that surrounded him. It was becoming stressful for everyone—oh, so stressful!—and the tension simply grew and grew. More and more, the detective felt caged, like _they_ were watching his every move. He slept less and less, trying to find a way, a solution, anything._

_The detective and scientist knew that they most likely had not much longer to live._

_But they were determined not to go down without a fight._

* * *

><p>For the first time, Kaito noticed the shadows and dark lines on the blue-eyed boy's face. His whole body drooped forward, like a wilting flower. His fingers fluttered restlessly, like a broken bird's wings, twining together and pressing to his lips. For the first time, Kaito noticed just how <em>tired<em> the young boy was.

"You _have_ gotten yourself in quite the mess, Tantei-kun," Kaito finally said, softly. All thoughts of escape vanished, and his Poker Face even eased up a bit. "You need to sleep. What have you been running on, coffee?"

Conan rubbed his temples, responding tiredly, "Actually, yes."

Kaito tsked, "That's not good enough, Tantei-kun. It's getting pretty late, so you need to sleep. We can discuss more in the morning, when you've sufficiently rested yourself."

Conan looked on the verge of yawning, but quickly bit his lip. "I have to talk to Haibara afterwards," he muttered. "And we have a lot more to discuss too, Kuroba-kun."

"Kaito."

"Eh?"

"Call me Kaito," the indigo eyed boy instructed, flashing a smile. "It seems we have quite a big challenge ahead of us, so we may as well become familiar."

"But we don't even know that we're fighting the same organization—" Conan began to protest.

"Nonsense," Kaito interrupted, waving a hand in the air. "You, Co-chan, need some sleep. Pronto. We can figure out the rest in the morning."

Conan spluttered. "Co-chan—?!"

And then Kaito gassed him. As his brilliant blue eyes glazed over and fluttered closed, Conan facepalmed mentally. He was going to get the thief for that in the morning…

…

But as he gave himself into the blackness that was sleep, he felt a faint happiness and sense of lightness he'd forgotten even existed. He trusted Kaito, for some reason. With the thief's protection, he felt ridiculously safer.

It was a freeing feeling, to have someone shielding him, for a change.

And then Conan slept, dreamless, for the first time in months.

* * *

><p>When the thief—Haibara still didn't know his name—dropped in downstairs, in her lab, she resisted the urge to detain him and get him away from all her precious information and chemicals. When she'd noticed Conan lying unconscious in the older boy's arms, she almost didn't restrain herself from knocking out the thief.<p>

But there was a way that KID held Conan in his arms—like a father does to his child, that affectionate way—and a look in his indigo eyes that stopped Haibara. It was ridiculous to trust KID on the way he looked (wasn't he a master of disguise, after all?) and horribly careless to simply trust him on a gut instinct, but Haibara did nonetheless. Besides, Conan looked so peaceful—blissfully asleep. It had been so long since he'd slept—in fact, KID probably gassed him or something of the like to get him in such a state. She was almost grateful to him, being able to let Conan catch some well deserved sleep. The faux boy had been border-lining paranoid and even coffee was beginning to fail him. (Not that she was doing much better.)

"Tantei-kun's tired," KID informed her in an almost singsongy voice. "He fell asleep mid-conversation—I'm just here to tell you he won't be able to chat tonight. Don't worry about me—I won't try to escape. Of course, you could always tie me up if you _really_ wanted to, but I'd probably end up escaping the ropes."

Haibara rubbed her temples wearily. "I don't doubt it," she muttered.

"Anyways," KID responded cheerfully, "I'll be taking Tantei-kun up to a room. This is the hakase's home, so he doesn't really have one, right?"

"Just put him in the blue guest room," Haibara murmured. "He always takes that one anyways. I'll have to text Mouri-san later about Edogawa staying overnight…"

"I already did~" KID said brightly. "Don't worry about it, ojou-chan."

"Haibara."

"Don't worry about it, Haibara-chan!"

"Not 'chan.' Or I will murder you."

Kaito resisted the urge to shiver at the deadpan quality of her voice. "Well, I'll be going now, Haibara-san. You'd better get some sleep as well."

Haibara pinched the bridge of her nose. "Just don't gas me, KID," she muttered. "I'm pretty sure I can find some sleeping pills somewhere."

Kaito doubted she would take them, even if she found them. "Call me Kaito," he finally said, snapping his fingers so that a white rose appeared. A dove fluttered from behind him, dropping off the rose on Haibara's computer. "Oyasuminasai, Scientist-san. It was nice meeting you."

"Good night, Kaito." As the thief left, Haibara looked at the full rose on her computer. It still had its thorns—strange, because most performers removed them. _A white rose for a brittle black girl,_ she mused thoughtfully. _A white rose, unstripped of its protecting thorns. Are you trying to say something to me, KID?_

Perhaps she was simply overthinking.

Sighing, she resumed typing, the blue screen light glowing in the darkening night.

* * *

><p>Kaito bumped into Agasa after leaving the scientist girl's lab. The poor man looked like he almost had a heart attack, jumping back in surprise. Like the girl, he quickly noticed Conan sleeping in his arms and his eyes took on an almost dangerous quality before relaxing somewhat.<p>

"A-ah, KID," Agasa stumbled backwards slightly, "I s-see you've finished chatting with Conan."

"It's about time he got some sleep," Kaito replied simply. Shifting Conan's weight to one arm, he produced a few capsules of sleeping pills with a small cloud of faint pink.

Agasa started in surprise and looked suspiciously at the pills in the thief's palm. "And what would that be?" he questioned, narrowing his eyes.

"I made tea in the kitchen," Kaito answered, nodding his head in the direction of the room. "Could you bring a mug of it to the girl downstairs for me? And take these—" he tossed the pills and Agasa caught them, fumbling a little before securing them. "They're sleeping pills. It looks like Scientist-san could use some sleep as well. Both of the kids look half-dead."

Agasa's eyes softened. "They've been overworking," he murmured to himself. Cocking his head slightly, he asked Kaito, "Why should I trust you, KID? How do I know you haven't drugged or poisoned the tea?"

Kaito shrugged eloquently. "I've never harmed someone at my heists. I will never understand someone's motive to kill—"

Agasa suddenly saw a shadow of Shinichi in the thief's eyes.

Hadn't the tantei said almost the same thing before?

"—and as for the drug question, isn't that the whole point?" Kaito pinned the old man with a deep look. "You don't have to use it. You can always make a fresh pot and dig out your own sleeping pills, if you really wish. I just want to make your life a little easier. Good night, Agasa-hakase."

Agasa looked, stunned, at the retreating back of the thief. "Ah—wait!"

Kaito stopped, but didn't turn around. "Yes?"

"If you, uh, don't mind me asking…" the hakase hesitated. "What's your real name, KID?"

Even though he never turned around, Agasa could hear the smile in the boy's voice. "Kuroba Kaito, my dear hakase. Magician." And then the thief disappeared around a corner, padding upstairs quietly.

"Kuroba Kaito," Agasa murmured slowly. "Yusaku knew his father, didn't he…?" He made his way to the kitchen, pouring out a mug of tea for Haibara from the full pot. Dropping in the capsules, he watched the pills dissolve in the hot liquid. "Perhaps," he mused softly, "KID _will_ be good for us."

He cupped his hands around the warm mug and brought it downstairs to Haibara.

Later, when she fell asleep in front of her computer, he saved her files and brought her upstairs, to her room.

It'd been so long since Haibara had looked so tranquil.


End file.
